Our Story, Our Purpose

A Gin with a taste of Africa

Wilderness Spirits was born from a journey through one of the world’s most breathtaking yet fragile places, the Virunga National Park in Central Africa. In 2019, Belgians Alexis Lebedoff, his sister Sophie, and their friend Batiste Ryckaert were struck not only by the park’s raw beauty but also by its fragility. Home to the last remaining mountain gorillas, Virunga is a place where life hangs in the balance, threatened by poaching, deforestation, and conflict. From that experience, a dream was born: to create spirits that would carry the flavors of the wild while protecting the creatures that make these places so extraordinary.

Our first creation, Virunga Gin, was more than just a gin, it was a promise. Crafted with African inspiration, it embodies the strength and vitality of the last inhabitants of the misty mountains of the iconic region. And with each bottle, we give back. Around 10% of Virunga Gin’s profits go to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, an organization that has devoted over fifty years to protecting mountain gorillas. Thanks to their work, the population of these magnificent animals is slowly growing, proving that when people care, change is possible.

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

A Story of Courage, Connection, and the Return of a Species

High in the misty mountains of Rwanda, where the forest hums with life, a quiet miracle has been unfolding for decades. Every morning, before the sun rises, teams from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund step into the forest to follow a promise made long ago: to protect every gorilla, every day.

A Legacy That Started With One Woman

Dian Fossey arrived in these mountains with nothing but determination and love for a species the world had nearly given up on. Her bond with the gorillas, gentle giants living under constant threat, inspired a movement. Today, her mission lives on through the organization that bears her name.

The Heart of Their Work

Each day, trackers quietly walk through the forest to find the gorilla families they know by name. They watch over them like guardians, removing snares that could harm them, noting every infant’s first steps, and ensuring each family is safe.

Researchers record stories the world would never otherwise hear: a mother comforting her newborn, youngsters tumbling in play, silverbacks protecting their families with quiet strength. These moments become the scientific knowledge that guides conservation across Africa.

A Remarkable Comeback

Not long ago, mountain gorillas hovered on the edge of extinction. Today, thanks to decades of daily protection, they are the only great ape whose population is growing. Their comeback is one of the world’s greatest conservation success stories, and the Fossey Fund is at the center of it.

Hope for the Future

This is more than conservation. It is a story of resilience, of people and wildlife rising together. Every gorilla protected, every child educated, every forest safeguarded continues the promise Dian Fossey began.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund reminds us that when we choose to care, species can return, forests can recover, and hope can grow.

A Vodka with a taste of the Arctic

But our story didn’t end in Africa. In 2025, we carried our mission north, to the vast ice cold areas of Northern Canada. There, another icon of the wild faces its own fight for survival: the polar bear. To honor and protect them, we created Wapusk Vodka, named after Canada's Wapusk National Park, one of the world’s most vital polar bear breeding grounds. Pure, crisp, and refined, Wapusk Vodka reflects the Arctic’s essence. And just like with our gin, every sip gives back: roughly 10% of profits supports the park, helping safeguard fragile ecosystems so that polar bears can continue to roam the ice.

At Wilderness Spirits, we believe that what we drink can make a difference. Our purpose is simple yet powerful: to create spirits that help wildlife thrive. From the jungles of Africa to the ice fields of the Arctic, every bottle tells a story of resilience, hope, and a future where humans and wildlife can flourish together.

Wapusk National Park

On the remote coast of northern Manitoba in Canada, Wapusk National Park protects one of the most precious places in the Arctic, the birthplace of countless polar bears. Here, in deep winter silence, mother bears dig warm snow dens and welcome their tiny newborn cubs into the world.

A Sanctuary for Polar Bears

Wapusk is one of the most important polar bear denning areas on Earth. Each spring, as families emerge from their hidden shelters, the park becomes a landscape of first steps, first lessons, and the beginning of a harsh but extraordinary journey.

How Wapusk Protects the North

Safeguarding Denning Grounds: Strict protection ensures mothers and cubs aren’t disturbed during their most vulnerable months.

Scientific Insight: Park teams and researchers track bear movements, climate impacts, and changes in Arctic ecosystems.

Indigenous Partnership: Collaboration with local communities brings deep cultural knowledge into conservation decisions.

Strength in a Changing Climate

As warming temperatures threaten polar bear habitats, Wapusk stands as a refuge, protecting not just bears, but the entire northern ecosystem of foxes, owls, wolves, and migratory birds.

In Wapusk National Park, every snowdrift carries a story of survival, and every protected den offers hope for the future of the Arctic’s most iconic species.