Mothers’ ruin is the making of Macc company’s export trade
FOREST Gin, which distills the spirit in small batches next to Macclesfield Forest, is celebrating after achieving its first export orders.
The company is crediting the assistance of the Government’s Exporting is GREAT campaign for its success.
Run by husband and wife team Karl and Lindsay Bond, it has already achieved extensive domestic success, with the gin currently available in a range of retail outlets such as Harvey Nichols stores throughout the country and The Conran Shop in London.
Forest Gin is currently the only premium gin served by Virgin Trains’ First Class Lounge in Euston, as well being the gin of choice in many of the UK’s best Michelin-starred restaurants.
In order to capitalise on the Forest Gin website receiving interest from countries throughout Europe, the company met with experts from the campaign in October of last year and received general advice on export strategy as well as assistance on bonded warehousing and how to export alcohol, including documentation and assistance with HMRC’s Excise Movement & Control System (ECMS).
Since this meeting, the company’s first ever export order was made from a major distributor in Germany in May, and there have since been several further export orders.
The company has also started supplying a distributor in Switzerland and will be listed by a major department store chain across the country. Karl and Lindsay are now looking to export even further afield, and are discussing opportunities which arose from attending a trade mission to China late last year.
Lindsay said: “The support we received has been invaluable, and I’d particularly like to thank our International Trade Advisor, Jayne Hunt. As a company that had never exported before, what was reassuring was to have someone at the end of a phone to call with any questions or for any advice. This gave us the confidence to start to export and the knowledge as to how to go about it.”
Karl added: “We are so pleased that we can share our products with new clients around the world. We have been involved in a trade mission to China and also met with overseas buyers in the UK, all organised by Exporting is GREAT. It has been a great learning experience and given us the information to know how to succeed in various countries.”
Clive Drinkwater, North West regional director for UKTI, added: “Forest Gin is a fantastic example of how, with our support, a business can begin its export journey quickly and start selling its products to new, exciting markets.
“Karl and Lindsay have done fantastically well, and we’ll continue to support them as they look to expand to even more new territories.
“Forest Gin is a great example of how the expertise UK drink companies possess is in demand all over the world. On the Exporting is GREAT website there’s currently demand from Taiwan for single malt scotch whiskey suppliers, while an Indonesian company is looking for a UK partner to produce craft beers.”
