An island distillery and brewery has hailed its all-female leadership and production team as the ‘secret’ to more than doubling its revenue.
The Bute Brew Co. and Isle of Bute Distillery has invested in training to upskill a trio of team members to take on brewing and distilling roles previously occupied by male colleagues.
Their impact has already been felt with the company reporting a revenue increase of 127% with online sales doubling in the same timeframe.
After returning from maternity leave, co-founder Rhona Madigan-Wheatley was left to ‘got it alone’ as her husband left the business to pursue his law career.
She said: “When I returned from maternity leave, I’d lost my confidence. Now I feel like things are moving fast and I’ve had a big part to play.
“I was on the sidelines for too long and I’m glad to be back with fresh confidence and fresh eyes with a fresh team.
“When our previous head distiller left, we had the option to recruit or retain and upskill.
“We made the right choice and 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.”
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New distillery manager Iona Buick, 27, first moved to the Isle of Bute when Covid curtailed her camper van adventure around Australia.
Having never run events before arriving back in Scotland four years ago, she’s now responsible for managing the team and running events of up to 400 people and was recently named as the winner of a prestigious HIT Scotland scholarship.
She said: “The faith shown in me has been phenomenal and 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.
“The island is one of the most incredible places in Scotland and more people should see how it’s getting even better all the time.
“Bute is having a moment, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Elsewhere, Imogen Holland, 24, joined the company as a bar worker to gain experience straight from earning a brewing and distilling degree at Heriot-Watt University.
Her parents have now swapped city life to join her on Bute, where she has progressed to a permanent role as both a distiller and a brewer.
She 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 a part of the management team is Julia Grant, who moved to the Isle of Bute during the pandemic during a career break from the music industry.
Despite being a ‘massive beer fan’, the 39-year-old admits she could never have anticipated flourishing in a new profession before relocation.
She said: “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.
“I love my life here, and haven’t looked back.”
As well as a significant growth in online sales, the brand’s success has reportedly 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.
Mrs 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, although we do 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.”
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The brewery and distillery also employ a further five staff on the island and has recently launched the ‘world’s first oyster gin’, distilled with Loch Fyne Oyster Shells.
The team is soon set to launch an expert strategy for the gin, with Europe and Singapore key targets, and has also secured exclusivity as the beer partner at this year’s ButeFest.
For more information, visit their website here.
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