Marking everything off on their list of things to achieve in life, Besties, Taia Rashid and Daphane Carter took their journeys to the next level with newest launch of Cashid Beverage Ltd Co, “Daphane Limoncello.”
Not only are they gorge, but Rashid and Carter are the sophisticated travelers, your girls-girl, and gal- pals. They're the themed party planners, that hosts occasional soirees with their girlfriend-group, where they plan out the evenings entertainment, hors d'oeuvres, and selected beverages.
During one of their rendezvous, Carter and Rashid realized there wasn’t a swigging deluxe beverage on the market that didn’t require mixing— a savory drink similar to premium wine, with more of a delightful stroke. From there, Daphane Limoncello sprouted.
Rashid left corporate America 10-years ago to become a stay-at-home mom while Carter worked as an educator for 27 years before becoming chief ad superintendent. In 2023, Carter stepped away altogether to enjoy the second half of her life, which is how they unearthed the distillery business.
Carter is risktaker while Rashid is the practical protagonist. They both credit God for all the glory in their lives... “I’m a risk taker,” says Carter. "But I’m a smart risk taker. So, fifty percent of it is just my close and intimate relationship with God, and how I know he’s going to bless my life… “And the smart part of that is, I’ll take risks that are very calculated, very strategic and very well planned; but I also, know that whatever I get out there and do, like, Gods got me.”
Putting God first, giving Him the glory, while applying faith-walk to the journey, has given Carter the outcome that she desired with the brand.
Rashid says that she comes with sensible upbringing from old-school parents that still think it’s the great depression till this day. This is the basis for her sensibility. She has an engineering background, that allows her to think critically, plan and execute with more rationale though she believes significantly in what she and Carter is doing.
They are breaking ground for the culture, and women everywhere whether they know it or not, rather they believe it or not.
Daphane Limoncello, won two Silver Medals in the 2023 Bartender Spirits Awards.
The Italian-inspired ultra-premium liqueur is recognized with the 2023 John Barleycorn Double Gold Award in Taste Competition and Silver Award for Best Overall Marketing and Design.
It's available in two delectable flavors, Daphane’s traditional Limoncello (vodka and liqueur) and Berrycello (made for cocktails). The brands are available at Cork & Barrel Club, Total Wine, and Emilio’s.
The distillery housing the liquer is in Jacksonville, Florida which is one of two places where the Meyer lemons are grown.
Carter and Rashid were considerate when selecting the sweetest harvest. Ergo, the fruit is handpicked from a tree, juiced for extract, placed in a refrigerated tanker, driven to the distillery, where the limoncello is made the same day.
“For me it’s unbelievable. I don’t know if we set out to be the first. I think that came later. So, for me, it’s a humbling experience,” says Carter about their impact as the first black women to introduce a citrus liqueur brand. “I think it’s also to say that like, it’s women. It means that we’re continuing to not allow a ceiling to be on our heads as women; so, for me, I’m filled with humility and gratitude.”
Rashid said, “I agree and I think to support what Daphane has said, when we set out to do this, it was about supporting the change in our lives, and wanting to do something that we believe in, and we’re driven to do, because it was for us and about us, and (we) want it to be something … a testament to who we are; so, a quality product that we could be proud of, that we wanted to represent us. So, all the accolades and everything that’s come… we never even thought about. It was all about being driven and determined, and focused on what we wanted to put out in the world.”
Rashid further states that the reach of the brand, exceeded their expectations of what their target consumers would be… “We thought it would be women from a certain demographics,’ she says. “And, now, we’re finding that just as many men love the product as women would.’
Limoncello is etched from love, celebration, the let down your hair moments, and affinity displayed when Carter and Rashid mingle with their sister-circles, their beloved family, and friends.
“This is meant to be celebratory fun," explains Carter. “It’s also meant to like, having real candid conversations where we laugh, and talk about the ups and downs of life, and we come together, and so it is a luxe drink because as women we deserve great things in our life. We deserve great things on our body. We deserve great things inside of our body; and so, this gluten free, low sugar drink… is premium—but hey, as women, we deserve it.”
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