What was initially a lighthearted idea discussed over the dinner table soon became the seed for a fruitful company…

Gil MacLean and Bill Creelman, Co-Founders of Stirrings

Following many childhood summers out on Nantucket, old family friends Gil MacLean and Bill Creelman decided they needed to share their love for the island’s extraordinary foods and rich culture with the rest of the world and moved there full time after graduating college in 1997. The pair eventually took over an island friend’s growing spice rub business and sought new ways to create extraordinary new products that would enhance the dining experience. With their core philosophy – better ingredients lead to better taste and better times – they began to apply this mission to beverages in much the same way it had been applied to food. In 2000, after getting tired of one too many margaritas being ruined by what was the equivalent of road salt, the duo developed a superior mixture to rim the glass of a margarita called a “Rimmer®.” It was from this innovation that their gourmet bar product line, Stirrings, was born. Guided by the realization that there was a huge gap in the market for innovative, high quality cocktail mixers and accessories made with fresh, all-natural ingredients, Bill and Gil set out to fill that niche with Stirrings, redefining cocktails in the process.

Gil MacLean, a Leverett, Massachusetts native and a talented bartender, has always had a passion for good food and drinks. Gil enjoyed exploring his talents in mixology and always took pleasure in making the finest cocktails and pushing the envelope with his creations. With creative chefs as parents, he was inspired by their talent in the kitchen and excited to bring a product into people’s homes that made it easy for anyone to create better cocktails. Gil currently lives in Providence with his wife Michelle, their son Jude and daughter Grace. He continues to work to keep the Stirrings brand thriving and ahead of the curve.

Bill Creelman is also a Leverett, Massachusetts native and cocktail aficionado. Growing up on a farm, he learned that the finest things come from the land in their purest form. While summering in Nantucket and working on a fishing boat, Bill never imagined himself working in a corporate atmosphere, much less founding a company. He always had an entrepreneurial spirit however, and he set out to bring a dynamic group of people together that shared his passions and wanted to keep the brand true to its origins. Bill currently lives in Boston with his wife Harley, son Tanner and daughter Addison. True to Bill’s vision, Stirrings is an energetic young company where a strong passion for food and drink drives the team to be innovators in the field.

See more about Bill and Gil:

• Read Bill and Gil's interview in Entrepreneur Magazine
• Watch Bill's interview on CEO TV
• Add Unwrapped to your TIVO list for September 17th airing of their Cocktail Culture episode, featuring Stirrings!