Cheers! Gin makers expand thanks to £250,000 boost

FIVE JOBS TO BE CREATED AT BURLEIGHS

A COUNTY gin distiller has been given a £250,000 boost to scale up its operations and create jobs.

Burleighs Gin has secured the finance package which will enable it to expand its operations at Bawden Lodge Farm, Nanpantan.

Five full-time jobs within its sales and operational functions will be created as the brand focuses on developing its premium brand gin range, with two new products in the pipeline.

The funding will also allow the company to further establish its export sales - expanding its presence in Europe and the Far East, with further plans to expand into the United States.

It has come from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), provided by the FSE Group and backed by the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Sam Watson, commercial director for the company, said: “These are exciting times for Burleighs Gin as we have a clear vision as to where we wish to take our business. We are aiming to expand the brand overseas and continue to grow in the UK.

“We are due to launch two marketing campaigns to support the forthcoming product launches and would like to extend our thanks to the FSE Group for helping us to source the funding.

“It will enable the business to pursue its growth ambitions and keep the day-to-day sales, distribution and operations fluid whilst we look to the future.”

Chirag Mistry, of the FSE Group, which manages the MEIF Debt Finance Fund, said: “We’re proud to have supported with its expansion plans.

“The job creation will have a positive impact on the local economy and further strengthen the future of the business.

“Through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, The FSE Group is committed to providing finance for innovative Midlands’ businesses with the potential to grow.”

Lewis Stringer, senior manager at the British Business Bank, added: “The MEIF Early Assessment Report, published last year, evidenced the Fund’s role in driving forward exports, growth and job creation in the region’s businesses.

“We’d encourage other businesses in the Midlands looking for finance for growth to consider the options available through the MEIF.”

Kevin Harris, of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited, said: “It is great to see a growing Leicestershire business receive this type of funding.

“The investment will help it expand and reach its full potential, which is exactly what the fund was set up to achieve.

“Burleighs Gin is proof that despite the current economic climate, those businesses that can see a global future for their products have many opportunities to thrive, and I wish them every success.”