LIKE many Scottish farmers, Graeme Jarron is constantly looking for ways to diversify in what can be a challenging industry.
In 2015, he launched Ogilvy Vodka, a craft spirit made from potatoes grown and distilled on the tenant farm his family has run for four generations.
In the last three years the brand has gained a loyal following among vodka drinkers from as far afield as France and Japan, buoyed by a strong narrative built on quality and provenance.
But Mr Jarron and his wife, interior designer Caroline Bruce-Jarron, are not the sort to rest on their laurels, and at the end of October they will open a new £150,000 visitor centre on the farm, adding another layer to the unique “field to bottle” story that has helped make Ogilvy Vodka such a success.
It’s an exciting time for the couple, who are keen to make the most of Hatton of Ogilvy Farm – a 500-acre mix of arable and dairy - which sits next to Glamis Castle in the rolling hills of Angus, just 20 minutes by car from Dundee.
“Our unique selling point is that we do everything from scratch,” explains Mrs Bruce-Jarron, who originally comes from Edinburgh. “We produce the spirit from potatoes that aren’t suitable for supermarkets. And we use a longer distilling process – three weeks as opposed to a few days - that we think makes all the difference to the taste and character of the vodka.”
The visitor centre, which will be housed in a converted farm steading, received funding from the Angus Leader rural development programme and will create three jobs in the first instance. Mr Jarron is fully aware of just how precious such opportunities are in rural communities.
“Every generation of my family has done something different on the farm, but none as daft as vodka,” he says. “This is my stamp. Farmers sometimes do a lot of complaining when times are tough. But for me it’s always important to try different things and I never envisaged for a minute that our potatoes would end up at the other side of the world, albeit in a different format.
“The visitor centre allows us to put another ball in the air, building our team and creating local jobs in the process. The community here has been so supportive of everything we do.”
Modern farming is no easy ride, but the couple thoroughly enjoy the challenge of growing and diversifying the business together on land that has been farmed by Mr Jarron’s family since 1910.
“Our skill sets complement each other and we get on really well,” says Mrs Bruce-Jarron, who also runs a design firm. “Graeme is very hands on and practical, I’m better at the creative side of things. I come up with ideas and Graeme finds a route to make them happen.”
Her husband adds: “What I love most about running a business is seeing the rewards of your efforts. We recently picked up some awards and the recognition of that was very fulfilling.
“As a farmer you can never be complacent. We have no background in producing spirits and it can be tough not having someone you can just go to and get all the answers. But life is a learning curve.”
As for the advice Mr Jarron would offer others in the industry looking to diversify, he says it’s important to stay focused on the fundamentals.
“You have to be careful not to take your eye off your existing business,” he adds. “Don’t think that diversification will solve all the problems of a struggling farm. Have something that complements what you do.
“We’re using what is, in effect, a waste product to distil the vodka. And it all takes place on the farm so we don’t have to leave to look after it.”
Mrs Bruce-Jarron says patience is also key. “Don’t rush things. Walk before you run and do things step by step. For us that means providing a quality experience in a manageable way and growing from there.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here