Sarah Opatz

Coming Up

In a greeting card company, the proprietor’s role can sharpen the same instincts a spirits founder later needs: pace, margins, and the discipline of making creative work hold up as a business. Sarah Opatz had that mix early. The line from cards to distilling is not a straight one, but the practical habits carry over: building something under her own name, managing the trade-offs, and accepting that creative control comes with financial exposure. That sensibility matters in spirits, where the work rewards patience and punishes drift. When Sarah Opatz moved toward Young & Yonder Spirits in 2013, the shift meant giving up the predictability of a paycheck and benefits in favor of a business that had to justify itself through growth and profitability. She made that change with the risks plainly visible, and without dressing them up.

Where They Are Now

At Young & Yonder Spirits, the founder’s job is less about quick wins than about building continuity. Since 2013, Sarah Opatz has worked inside the slower mechanics of company-making: earning trust, defining identity, and keeping craft and business aligned over time. The role of co-founder in this setting asks for steadiness as much as ambition, and the work sits in that balance.

Career - co-founder — Young & Yonder Spirits, Healdsburg, California, United States (2013–present) - proprietor — greeting card company

Signature

H.O.B.S Gin and Young & Yonder Classic Vodka are the signatures tied to Sarah Opatz. Read as house expressions, they point to a clear brand vocabulary: names built to be remembered, and bottles that carry the company identity forward.

In Their Words “I don’t regret it one second, but it was hard going from having a steady income and benefits to solely surviving from the growth and profitability of the business.”

FAQ What is Sarah Opatz's current role? As of 2026, Sarah Opatz is co-founder. Where did Sarah Opatz work before? Sarah Opatz's earlier career included greeting card company.