A rum distillery has declared it will quadruple its turnover to £380,000 within a year of opening a new base in Scotland.
Matugga Distillers, which originally outsourced its manufacturing to a partner distillery south of the border, is to now make all of its spirits at its new facility in Livingston, West Lothian.
The £100,000 distillery is equipped with two 200 litre copper pot stills, capable of producing 50,000 litres of craft rum in its first year.
In 2016-2017 the firm had a turnover of £95,000 and it is forecasting a 400% increase over the next 12 months.
It is also aiming to create five new full-time roles, including positions in distilling and business development.
Founded by husband and wife Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa - who have Ugandan and Jamaican family heritage - Matugga Distillers' produce was initially small-batch distilled in England before they moved production to Scotland.
The couple began considering central Scotland when Mr Rutasikwa – a chartered civil engineer – started his Masters Degree in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The family, which includes their two young daughters, relocated from London in July 2017.
During this time, the firm has already celebrated export success following a listing with French distributor, Dugas.
Mr Rutasikwa, master distiller, said: “Scotland has hundreds of years of distilling expertise and history.
"This, combined with my African heritage, is what will inspire us to create new and exciting rums.
"We can think of no better place to be launching our new distillery and beginning such an exciting journey.
“The ethos of Matugga Distillers is underpinned by the Swahili saying ‘pole pole’ (pronounced poleh poleh), which means ‘slowly slowly’.
"We want people to slow down, sip, savour and share our rums with friends and family.”
Ms Rutasikwa, chief executive, said: “Building on the success we’ve had in Europe, the next year will see us focus on making friends and contacts in the on-trade and off-trade, while continuing to bring something different to the UK rum scene as a whole.
“The signature smokey aspect of our rums isn’t dissimilar to lightly peated whiskies; making them the perfect sipping spirit or a quality addition to popular cocktails, like an Old Fashioned."
The company has been selling its rum range since 2015 through retailers such as Masters of Malt, the Whisky Exchange and directly from the distillery’s online shop.
The firm’s new distillery has been funded through a combination of personal investment, a bank loan and grant support from West Lothian Council and Business Gateway.
Matugga Distillers has also started exporting, shipping 10,000 bottles of rum to France and across the EU in the last year.
The range includes Matugga Golden Rum and Matugga Spiced Rum.
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