The Power of Two

Imagine knowing exactly where your botanicals have been growing? This month I feature Puddingstone Distillery co-founders, Kate and Ben Marston whose business distills Hertfordshire’s sense of place.

If there is one thing that the entrepreneurs I have featured in this interview series have in common, it’s their instinct for getting things right for their customers. Often in the face of macro economic factors that buffet our tourism and hospitality industry and are beyond anyone’s control.

In this the fifth interview, meet a couple of tenacious and creative business owners whose brand is so connected to their landscape and community, it makes me wonder why we don’t all have this approach.

Meet Kate and Ben Marston, founders of Hertfordshire's first distillery

Just look at all those awards!

Meet Kate and Ben Marston, co-founders of Puddingstone Distillery, based in the business hub at the PE Mead site in Wilstone near Tring. Founded eight years ago after a chance encounter with a book about gin, when we sat down together, I was delighted to see Kate is using one of our Chilterns Gifts notebooks. The shop is warm and inviting, the three stills Isabella, Amelia and Annie gleaming, making this utilitarian space flexible to switch from production into event mode. Ben was plotting the great wildlife escape for the mini beasts that had accompanied his crop of freshly picked botanicals from the Boxmoor Trust. Another of their successful collaborations with local wildlife centres. More of that below.

This sits so well within their business ethos that stems from their love of travel, adventure, outdoor pursuits and helping other brands to communicate and grow.

The power of Two

I wanted to understand how they work together, as could see Kate was pleased Ben had the task of sorting the wildlife! Ben actually worked at Kate’s graphic design business before moving to head up marketing at Tring Brewery, but was drawn to learning about brewing, so become head brewer and digital marketeer. What is the one odd combination of jobs you, the reader have had to do?

They have always wanted to go into business together and weren’t short of ideas. After Kate had read more books about gin, liked to drink gin - indoors and out, they started to look into what was available locally. 10 years ago, there was nothing local…so what was to stop them? Apart from premises, they had to learn from the few distillers across the country, so headed to Edinburgh and Durham to learn about the gin business. They completed a course, even took the exam! Next step, was to buy a little copper still and they began where all good businesses start: the kitchen table. From there, they joined the growing producers hub at PE Mead’s farm outside Tring. This location is important as it’s a busy food production and retail centre that has within its 35 mile radius over 40 small producers, many of them collaborating and supporting one another. This is good business.

Kate is now based at the distillery looking after marketing, retail and finances. They share events and some of the word-smithing while Ben looks after sales, production and public engagements.

Ben mixing the cocktails. Copyright Puddingstone Distillery

Fantastic Mr Fox

They have won so many regional and national awards, but their highlight was winning the World's Best Martini Challenge 2019, a huge achievement so early on in their business! Their martini was reviewed on Sunday Brunch and the resulting PR and sales was such a boost for them. A poignant moment was driving back from the award ceremony in London and seeing a fox on the roadside as they neared Tring along the A41. “It felt he was there for us, just waiting,’ said Kate, “the Fantastic Mr Fox”.

Sense of place

They embraced their sense of place, naming their business after a geological formation called a Puddingstone that is only found in Hertfordshire. It is credited with warding off evil spirits and to carry one in your pocket would bring good luck.

How it stacks against Brexit is another matter. Exporting to the EU is expensive and not worth the hassle for a small producer. I know! They are also facing the largest increase in 50 years in alcohol levies that means the cost price of their products goes up and up. This feeds in directly to the perceptions about value for money and cost of living - will they won’t they buy from supermarkets that offer 1 litre of Baileys for £13 for example, encouraging consumers to drink at home.

Covid still lingers and has Kate believes, impacted consumer behaviour more than we perhaps realise. Late and last minute decisions and bookings, a reluctance to go out and do things. Last but not least, the climate impacts the botanicals harvest.

It’s not all doom and gloom, there are always opportunities, but it’s what resources and energy levels allow. Competition is reduced and the golden years that saw so many lifestyle business start up is over. This impacts on the offer when attending festivals and shows, as the variety is less and the destination offer is diminished.

The Campfire range.

Ultrasonic partnerships

They have carved a niche for themselves with successful collaborations with hospitality businesses and various wildlife trusts. In 2017, the first Himalayan balsam pulling took place, collecting the flowers for their Campfire Special Edition No 1, the 'pink for a purpose' gin. £2 from the sale of each bottle goes towards the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust. In 2019 there’s was the first gin to be made with Hertfordshire juniper. The Box Moor Trust have been cultivating juniper on their land and harvested some of their berries for a special gin with £2 from the sale of every bottle going to the Trust. They’ve even crafted a gin that’s inspired by bats!

Networking

Ben and Kate have been so supportive of the Chilterns Tourism Network and are always promoting their local market town Tring. I know they’d like a reliable bus service to Wilstone, but rural infrastructure can be frustrating and slow. Speaking of sloes, we had great fun judging the annual Alford Arms sloe gin competition last year. Ben was a very serious judge, Kate and I, not so much!

Great vintage, lousy year for sloe gin

If ever there was a business that is an exemplar for developing, marketing and selling unique and distinctive products that shout ’sense of place’, it has to be Kate and Ben. I congratulate them on their success and always come away from spending time with them full of ideas, recipes and inspiration. They inspire me and I hope they will you.

All content and images are copyright of Mary Tebje and where indicated, Puddingstone Distillery. They may not be reproduced without permission. If you enjoyed this post, please share and give it a ❤️

Links you will need

All things Puddingstone can be found here, including their events diary. Take a look their collaboration case studies. Find out about the Puddingstone myths and legends.

My popular Power-Hours will be available over the winter to iron out any marketing comms wrinkles, find solutions to late booking and the diminished destination awareness. Get in touch in the usual way.

Surprise and delight your customers with what’s local and special across the region. Subscribe to my weekly Micro Travels with Mary.

Please take a look at earlier interviews with Phil, Philippa, Jim and David.