A nod to history
We now have more than one still at Madrona, so we need to have something more colorful to call them…”the big one” and “the little one” just don’t inspire creativity. One of my hobbies is the study of history and genealogy, so why not dig back into the past for the names?
Our primary gin still will heretofore be known as The Rose. It is named for the 16th century power couple Owen Tudor and Catherine de Valois, my 17th great-grandfather & grandmother. Catherine married Owen many years after the death of her first husband, Henry V of England. They did not publicly present themselves as a couple until Catherine’s son Henry VI was old enough to protect the relationship. So, what does this have to do with a Rose? Well, Owen was an early victim of the Wars of the Roses that transitioned the realm from the Plantagenets to the Tudors. Owen fought along with his son Jasper on the Lancaster (Red Rose) side at the battle of Mortimer’s Cross. They were defeated by Edward of York, later Edward IV of England. Following the defeat, Owen was captured and beheaded. We hope for better success for our Rose!
Disclaimer: My family history stories are based on some direct and painstaking research begun by my grandfather and his brother more than 50 years ago. However, much of the more ancient connections are based on publicly available research and online tools. It helps that my direct ancestry includes Roger Williams (founder of Rhode Island) and William White of the Mayflower, so much of the deeper history was researched by professionals. There are almost certainly errors in this research, but where is the fun in perfection? Having said that, William and Harry are in no danger of me making a claim to the throne!
You share a name with the only prominent Seattle-area VC. I would lean into that and do something like call one Gates and one Bezos. As time goes on you could add Nordstrom, Boeing, etc. Might win some affinity with the target audience.