TO ADVERTISE IN OUR BUSINESS SECTION PLEASE CALL OUR SALES TEAM ON 01631 568000 Island couple raise a glass to gin’s success
A COUPLE who produce award-winning gin from their Colonsay home have secured their first national supermarket order with bottles due to appear on shelves this summer.
Fin and Eileen Geekie set up Wild Thyme Spirits Ltd in 2016 and have since sold more than 5,000 bottles, including sending their first exports to Canada.
Support from Business Gateway Argyll and Bute has helped them grow the business. Recently the couple have benefited from specialist marketing advice via the Business Gateway Local Growth Accelerator Programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-20 Structural Funds Programme.
Fin said: ‘We’re proud of our Colonsay Gin and the response we’ve had from the public. When we sold our 5,000th bottle, it was a special moment and since then we’ve expanded.
‘We exported our first shipment to Canada, including an exclusive special commemorative bottling for Canada’s finest military regiment, the Lord Strathcona’s Horse. We’re also currently in negotiations with importers in Italy and Spain so it’s an exciting time for us.
‘We have secured a national supermarket order, although we can’t say which one until nearer the time.
‘Since setting up, we’ve had support from Business Gateway, which has been with us every step of the way. The specialist advice we received in marketing and PR has really given us a boost and put us in a great position.’
The success of Colonsay Gin has led Fin and Eileen to offer a ‘gin lover’s retreat’ experience, making use of onsite accommodation built during the renovations. The weekend retreat offers visitors and gin enthusiasts a chance to choose from more than 200 gins and eat fantastic food while taking in the remote and beautiful scenery of the island.
For 2018, bookings for the retreat are already at 70 per cent as gin lovers seek a unique experience.
Fin added: ‘Gin is loved by many people and we wanted to make use of our wonderful surroundings to offer something different. We also wanted to help the island’s economy and tourism by bringing people to the island who have not been before. We are very aware of how important business is to the future sustainability of the