By Ian McConnell
A SCOTTISH business specialising in manufacturing small batches of spiced rums has hailed a 65 per cent jump in turnover, with development of its online presence having helped it achieve a doubling of organic search traffic since November 2020.
Former airline pilot Matt Hunt and wife Becky started their own rum business, Old Mother Hunt, in the spring of 2020 amid the lockdown put in place as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Mr Hunt had been made redundant by Flybe, around the same time that other airlines started grounding planes because of the coronavirus crisis.
In May 2021, Matt and Becky obtained their own distiller's license and began to make their rum from scratch, an unusual practice within the UK as rum is typically imported and re-distilled.
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Old Mother Hunt’s online success has been assisted by support from taxpayer-backed advice service Business Gateway.
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Becky Hunt said: “We conducted market research to find out what was popular in Scotland. As the drinks market is saturated by gin, we decided to distil rum and learnt about the process and flavours. We then approached Business Gateway for help to launch the business.”
When they launched Old Mother Hunt, the couple contracted out the initial distillation of the pure white rum and then created, in Strathaven, their bespoke range of flavoured rums: Smokey Oak, Number Seven, Stiff Neck, Signature and Winter Spiced.
After securing their distiller’s licence in 2021, they noted this meant they could create their own rum “100 per cent from scratch using molasses”.
Mr Hunt, chief distiller, said in July 2021: “We are determined to keep the advantages of small-batch production, which enables us to develop our own bespoke recipes and flavours and ensure that our favourite flavours are consistent for customers. We now have even more control over the process and to produce every aspect of the rum in the UK is exciting. We are developing things as we go and expect to create some unique and exciting flavours for rum lovers.”
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