Creating sustainable spirits is not always the easiest or cheapest path. Explorer's Gin is a perfect example. Our bottle is manufactured and decorated in Milan before making its journey across Europe to the distillery. It delivers the quality and design we wanted, but it also exposes us to the realities of international supply chains.
Many customers have asked why we increased the price of Explorer's Gin. It was not a decision we took lightly. Like many independent producers, we have faced a perfect storm of rising costs over recent years.
The well-publicised challenges of Brexit, inflation, energy prices, labour shortages and increased transport costs continue to affect businesses across the country. Poor harvests and volatile weather have pushed up the cost of agricultural products, while shipping and packaging costs remain significantly higher than historic levels.
For producers, the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations has created an additional challenge. Businesses are now expected to contribute more towards the collection, recycling and disposal of packaging. While we support the principle of reducing waste and increasing recycling, the administrative burden and financial cost fall heavily on smaller producers with fewer resources to absorb them.
At the same time, rising business rates, compliance costs and raw material inflation continue to squeeze margins. Juniper, the heart of every gin, has seen particularly dramatic increases. Juniper now costs substantially more than it did only a few years ago, reflecting wider pressures across the agricultural supply chain.
Large multinational companies can often absorb these increases for longer periods. Small independent businesses rarely have that luxury.
Rather than simply passing costs on, we have focused on creating alternatives. Our refill programme allows customers to reuse their Explorer's bottle, reducing waste while lowering the cost of future purchases. We even cover the return shipping costs.
It saves money, reduces packaging waste and helps support a more sustainable future. That feels like a solution worth raising a glass to.
