A small distillery tucked into the Okanagan is mixing more than craft cocktails this weekend. Controlled Entropy Distilling in Summerland is raising funds for epilepsy education through specialty drinks and take-home kits, part of a nationwide movement that began with a determined nine-year-old girl.
Purple Day falls this Sunday, March 29. The distillery will pour three purple cocktails between noon and 5 p.m. Every dollar earned goes directly to the Center for Epilepsy & Seizure Education in British Columbia. It’s a simple model that turns a tasting room into a community action point.
Husband and wife co-owners Shea Bennett and Nahome Boule-Paquette are also selling a Blueberry Hibiscus Cocktail Kit. The kit includes their recently awarded Gold Medal-winning Lemongrass Hibiscus Liqueur. You get everything needed to build the drink at home. All proceeds from both the flights and the kits support the nonprofit’s work.
Epilepsy affects one in 100 Canadians, according to national health data. That translates to roughly 380,000 people living with seizures across the country. Yet public awareness remains thin. Many still misunderstand what a seizure looks like or how to respond when someone has one.
Purple Day was born from personal frustration and hope. In 2008, Cassidy Megan, then nine years old, launched the idea in Nova Scotia. She wanted other kids with epilepsy to know they weren’t isolated. She picked purple as the international color for the cause. The Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia helped scale the concept nationally by 2008. A year later, they partnered with The Anita Kaufmann Foundation to take it global.
What started as one child’s wish now spans dozens of countries. Schools host purple-themed assemblies. Workplaces organize awareness lunches. Landmarks light up in violet. And small businesses like Controlled Entropy carve out ways to contribute.
The distillery’s involvement reflects a broader trend in craft beverage culture. Producers increasingly use limited releases and event-based sales to support local causes. It builds brand loyalty while directing capital toward underfunded services. Epilepsy education programs often rely on this kind of grassroots fundraising. Provincial health budgets rarely prioritize public seizure literacy training.
British Columbia’s Center for Epilepsy & Seizure Education offers resources that include first-aid workshops and school outreach. They train teachers to recognize absence seizures, which can be mistaken for daydreaming. They work with employers to draft seizure action plans. These programs require consistent funding, and donations from events like Sunday’s fundraiser fill critical gaps.
The cocktail kits also carry practical appeal. They let supporters participate even if they can’t visit the tasting room. You order online, mix at home, and still contribute. It’s a model that gained traction during pandemic lockdowns and has proven durable since.
Bennett and Boule-Paquette have leaned into ingredients with visual impact. Blueberry and hibiscus create vivid purple hues without artificial dyes. The Lemongrass Hibiscus Liqueur adds floral brightness. These choices align with their small-batch ethos while meeting the thematic needs of Purple Day.
The distillery is part of Summerland’s growing craft sector. The town, population around 12,000, sits in the South Okanagan wine region. Vineyards dominate the landscape, but distilleries and cideries have carved out space. Tourism supports them, but local buy-in matters more for long-term viability. Events like Sunday’s fundraiser strengthen those ties.
Epilepsy carries stigma that education can chip away at. Many people with the condition face employment discrimination or social exclusion. Seizures can be unpredictable, but they’re manageable with proper medication and support. Awareness campaigns help normalize the condition and reduce fear-based reactions.
Cassidy Megan’s original vision centered on solidarity. She wanted people with epilepsy to see purple worn by strangers and feel less alone. That symbolic gesture now pairs with tangible fundraising. Controlled Entropy’s effort is one example among thousands worldwide. But it’s grounded in something specific: a distillery, a nonprofit, a community.
Purple Day also serves as a reminder that chronic conditions often lack the visibility of acute crises. Epilepsy doesn’t generate the same urgency as a natural disaster. Yet it shapes daily life for hundreds of thousands of Canadians. Funding for education and research comes from sustained, smaller efforts rather than sudden mobilizations.
The March 29 event runs for five hours. You can stop by for a flight, buy a kit, or both. The distillery’s tasting room offers views of the valley. It’s a functional space that doubles as a gathering point when needed.
Details are available on Controlled Entropy’s website. The Center for Epilepsy & Seizure Education also lists resources for those seeking information on seizure first aid or advocacy. Sunday’s fundraiser won’t solve systemic funding gaps, but it channels local energy toward a clear goal. And it keeps Cassidy Megan’s idea alive, one purple cocktail at a time.
