A Toast to the Ocean

Beneath the surface, the ocean has a way of bringing people together. For artist Wyland and spirits entrepreneur Mark Bloomquist, a shared enthusiasm for diving and marine life became the starting point for a business partnership that has grown well beyond a single bottle of vodka. After collaborating through locally based Blue Shark Vodka, the pair joined forces on Equalise Flavored Vodka, a new brand combining Wyland’s ocean-inspired artistry with Bloomquist’s experience in the spirits industry. Their goal is to build a business that reflects their shared interests while helping support a cause close to both of them: ocean conservation.

“We’re all connected to the sea,” Wyland says. “People who live on the coast have an affinity for celebrating what we have and what we want to protect. I’m on board for that.”

The collaboration was born in 2020 when Bloomquist and his wife, Niki, reached out to Wyland asking that he do a painting of a blue shark for a limited-edition bottle of Blue Shark Vodka. He agreed, and the bottle sold out quickly, prompting plans for a second limited-edition bottle in 2022, which also sold out. Proceeds benefited the Wyland Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on ocean, lake, river, stream and wetland conservation through art, science and community action.

As they got to know each other and a friendship grew, Wyland — who had already delved into tequila and rum businesses — expressed interest in being a bigger part of the Blue Shark Vodka story. This led to the formation of a separate brand, Equalise Flavored Vodka, a partnership between the Bloomquists and Wyland.

“The rest is history, and we are thrilled with this partnership,” Bloomquist says. “I’m just honored to be with Wyland. We think the world of him, and there’s just a balance between what we’re trying to do.”

The first flavor, Wyland Vanilla Vodka, launched in 2023. Since then, the following flavors have hit the shelves: lemon, mango habanero, peach and, most recently, Bing cherry to commemorate America’s 250th birthday.

Five new flavors are planned for 2027: grapefruit, mandarin orange, lime, espresso and one that the partners will not yet disclose. They are planning to solicit public input for what Wyland should paint on the mystery label.

“That will be it, and then we will market them and bring them all throughout the U.S.,” Bloomquist says. “What we’re doing is creating harmony. Blue Shark Vodka is about the ocean; when we partnered with Wyland, I think it lets us put our commitment in every bottle and it puts us right behind real conservation work.”

Wyland will create a new piece of art unique to each flavor to be featured on the bottles.

“It seemed like a great way to fund some of the work that my foundation was doing,” he says. “I love the creativity of it; you’re basically selling vodka to further a cause to protect the ocean and marine life. I can’t be more pleased with what they’ve produced and how they do it. To put my art on something I believe in just made perfect sense.”

Although he grew up in Detroit, Wyland developed a fascination with the ocean at an early age as he watched “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” every week.

“He inspired me to be not only a diver but an environmental advocate and conservationist,” he says. “He got into my DNA.” 

Wyland — who splits his time between Hawaii, California and the Florida Keys — visited the Wilmington area last year and made an appearance at the ABC Store near Wrightsville Beach to sign bottles, give kids an art lesson and paint a wall dubbed “Party Sharks.”

Blue Shark Vodka is a family-owned spirits company founded and based in Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, with a mission to preserve and protect sharks swimming up North Carolina's coast and beyond. The vodka is distilled from non-GMO North Carolina sweet corn. The Equalise Flavored Vodka varieties use the same distillation process and are then naturally infused without added sugar.

The collection of Wyland Peach Vodka, Wyland Lemon Vodka, Wyland Vanilla Vodka and Wyland Mango Habanero Vodka recently earned Double Gold in the SIP Awards Packaging & Design competition, which recognizes creativity, originality, theme consistency and overall design across an entire product line. In a separate honor, Wyland Peach Vodka also earned Double Gold in the SIP Awards’ double-blind tasting competition, placing it in the top percentile of its category among spirits judged by an independent consumer panel.

The artwork on the labels is an important component of drawing attention to the brand and its mission, Wyland says. 

“If people see the beauty in nature, they’ll work to preserve it,” he says. “Art and music are the two most powerful mediums on the planet, and if you combine that with really good ultra-premium vodka, it’s going to be really impactful.”