Hello and Welcome!
I hope everyone has had a good month, for us June has added itself to the list of months that to be honest felt more like a week not a month. With the mixed bag of weather its been tricky to get into the Summer feeling. But that being said it hasn’t dampened down the thirst for Gin!
We have been in a non-stop cycle of Distilling, Bottle making, Bottling and Distributing; which has been great. We have also brought on board our newest and biggest stockist to date this month in the form of Westmorland Group, who have Cairn Lodge services, Tebay Services, Rheged Services, Gloucestershire Services and The Westmorland Hotel. Currently we are only showcasing in Cairn Lodge due to the Scottish element, but all being well we might have a chance to get into Tebay which would be fantastic.
Another area we have been looking at closely this month has been trying to find a Distributor to work with to gain access into the hospitality market in a more far reaching way. We are adamant we want to work with someone with a matching ethos and with the attention to detail; this has been harder than expected. From the number of distributors out there it’s clear there are few that are geared to working with new, small scale producers in a way that is beneficial to both parties. So if you’re reading this and you know of or run one please get in touch!
The general theme seems to be horrendously long payment terms (now I know this is standard practice in business these days, but seriously… 60 day payment terms!) or rumours of bad paying all together. This to us not only shows a lack of respect for the producers, but also seems incredibly short sighted. As we have mentioned before, building strong relationships is key in our opinion. Ok we may be small now, but we hope to be big one day; then you will be able to reap the rewards of your support. My dad always used the saying, “Be kind to those who help you on the way up, because you’ll be sure to meet them again on your way down.”
Oh well, I’m sure the right company will come along, and if not, we will just do ‘Us’ and keep chipping away at our own pace.
On a different note and yet another tribulation; remember my issue with the broken mast at the distillery? Well it’s still not fixed! I must give EE their due; they got it back up and running for… drum roll please… Two whole days!
As you can imagine, my days in the distillery are productive in terms of production of our Gin. But little else can happen whilst I’m there, which is beginning to wear thin. Lets keep everything crossed it’s repaired in the next couple of weeks before I return to bottle the last two distillations amounting to roughly 400 bottles.
This was only the second time I’ve done what I like to call a Double Distillation. Basically back to back distillations. Im hoping this is a result and a sign of the increase in demand we are starting to experience; I really do feel like we are gaining traction in the industry and amongst consumers now.
Speaking of consumers, we attended another show in Newcastle last weekend. Which I have to say…WOW. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how we were going to be received, and with it only being a one day event I thought it may have been a slow one. However, Newcastle you proved me wrong. We had a very busy show and honestly the people that attended were so lovely and couldn’t have been more excited and supportive of Igneous as a whole, so Thank you!
Our next show is in quick succession as we will be setting up shop in London at the weekend at Chelsea Old Town Hall. I’m really excited for this one as well, I’ve been keen to try and raise our profile in London and the south for some time and I’m hoping this show will get us in front of a few people that can help spread the word of Igneous.
Other ways in which we are pushing forward with increasing the Igneous profile is by doing tasting days with our stockists. We have three currently planned in for the coming month. First stop is to our friends at No40 By Bruin in Bearsden on Saturday 13th July, followed by Chestnut House in Pooley Bridge on Monday 22nd July and wrapping up at Mainsgill Farm Shop near Richmond on Sunday 28th July. Keep an eye on our socials and give them all a follow. If you’re in the area on the planned dates pop by for a free taster and maybe grab yourself a bottle. We hope to add more dates at other locations in the coming months.
On a personal level, this month has also been another typically chaotic month in the Pote household from vehicles, to children and pets. In between the juggling act of Gin production, Bottle production and admin the boys had their sports day which was a lovely sunny day and great fun was had by all; we even remembered to take the camping chairs this year which made for a nice change. It does however mean the final term of the year has arrived and we have the impending 6 week holidays (which for some reason appears to be more like 7 weeks this year!) on the horizon, which will bring a whole new set of challenges for both family and business.
We seem to have spent several days to and from the car garages this month for both the car and van which is never fun and always leaves me feeling a little bit abused, but at least it’s done for another year.
Finally on a deeply personal note to us and one that I possibly shouldn’t share on such an open stage but both myself and Katie have become acutely aware of the gradual decline in our lifelong staple that is Poppy our Goldie.
We got Poppy within the first year after we got married and she has been a constant rock for us both through highs and lows. Never wavering in her love, loyalty and constantly providing us with a companion to talk rubbish too when required. She is the centre of our boys world and one of the several reasons we were so keen to work from home more. She is still here, still giving us the supporting looks and wags of her tail, but I fear there has been a change and it hurts.
She reminds me that even when your tired and you feel like it’s all a little too much, a warmer sunnier day is just around the corner that will be worth that extra effort.
Have a great July, enjoy the longer days. Especially if it’s with a serve of Igneous.
Miles and Katie x