Bute Brew Co. and Isle of Bute Distillery has revealed the secret to more than doubling its revenue this year– a new all-female leadership team.
Having invested in training to upskill team members including distillery manager Iona Buick, and distiller and a brewers, Imogen Holland and Julia Grant, the company’s revenue increased by 127%, with online sales doubling during that time.
Co-founder Rhona Madigan-Wheatley, who returned from maternity leave as husband Jack left the business to return to his law career explains, “When our previous head distiller left, we had the option to recruit, or to retain and upskill; we made the right choice. I couldn’t be more proud of our talented, committed team. We have such a good culture, and I think that’s partly because we do feel like we’re in it together in a male dominated industry.”
As well as a significant growth in online sales, the brand’s success has also been driven by the launch of Bute Yard, a collaborative food and drink venue focusing on seasonality of which the Isle of Bute Distillery and Bute Brew Co are anchor tenants. It launched last year with the ambition to develop the Isle of Bute economy and its community through collaboration and answering the needs of the local food and drink sector for growth and expansion.
Madigan-Wheatley said, “We are the food and drink generation. Our community of local food and drink producers is helping to bring people back to Bute and make it the place to go once more; we feel our offering of cocktails and beer brewed on-site provides something different for locals and visitors alike.
“The growth has been fantastic, but we struggle with peaks and troughs. All we can do is to continue to increase demand by doing what we love and collaborating with interesting partners to make the offering so good that there is no off-season.
“That’s a big part of our success, that our team is part of the island’s community.”
New distillery manager Iona Buick is now responsible for managing the team and running events having recently won a HIT Scotland scholarship. She said, “The faith shown in me has been phenomenal. Joining a small company has really accelerated my learning curve; I’m so lucky to now have all this experience under my belt and to be able to use it to put the distillery and the brewery on the map while helping simultaneously helping Bute bounce back to its rightful place as one of the UK’s top holiday destinations.”
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Imogen Holland joined the company as a bar person to gain experience following her Brewing and Distilling degree at Heriot Watt University. She has now progressed to a permanent role as both a distiller and a brewer.
Holland said, “Covid meant it was difficult to get experience, so I was willing to move anywhere for my career. This was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’d never even touched a brew kit or still and for all the theory I learned, nothing compares to learning by doing. I feel like this past year, I’ve learned more than any other year in my life.
“We are all so hungry to learn, to improve and to prove we can do it. We are so proud of our progress and our success; we can’t wait to keep that momentum going and help the company become a major player in the drinks industry.”
Also joining the management team is Julia Grant, who moved to the Isle of Bute during the pandemic during a career break from the music industry. Although already a fan of beer, she had never brewed, or distilled before the move.
“I haven’t looked back”, said Grant, “I love my life here – it’s a completely different pace. I’m so lucky that after I spent so long working on one of my passions, I’m now able to focus on my other big passion in life.
“I’ve been a beer nerd for as long as I can remember and I can’t believe it’s now my career, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be part of this amazing team.”
The brewery and distillery has also launched the World’s First Oyster Gin, distilled with Loch Fyne Oyster Shells, which employs a further five staff and this week it launches its new line of RTD alcohol free cocktails.