In his work in Chernobyl since the 1990s, Prof Smith says he has been struck by how the economic conditions for people in Ukraine have remained stubbornly difficult, while the landscape has slowly recovered.
"There are radiation hotspots [in the exclusion zone] but for the most part contamination is lower than you'd find in other parts of the world with relatively high natural background radiation," he says.
"The problem for most people who live there is they don't have the proper diet, good health services, jobs or investment."
The aim of selling Chernobyl artisan vodka and hopefully making a profit, he says, is to enable the team to distribute most of the money to local communities. The rest will be reinvested in the business, although Prof Smith hopes to provide the team with an income to work on their "social spirit enterprise" part time.
"Because now," Prof Smith adds, "after 30 years, I think the most important thing in the area is actually economic development, not the radioactivity."