A Market Development Opportunity
NZ’s Waiheke Distillery isn’t just making waves at home – it has its eyes set firmly on new markets.
It’s not often an Antipodean spirits business makes the headlines, but Waiheke Distilling is doing just that, having been selected as the flagship editorial partner for Strive for Perfection: The Official Platinum Jubilee Edition- an official publication for the International Club for Rolls-Royce and Bentley Enthusiasts.
Published in 2022, Strive for Perfection is an art book authored by motoring experts and award-winning writers to celebrate The Queen’s extraordinary 70-year reign and life of service, along with exploring the close ties between royalty and Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars.
The partnership came on the back of Waiheke’s silver medal at the 5th London Spirits Competition for its signature gin, Spirit of Waiheke. The awards, which took place in London in March 2022, were the latest recognition of the company’s growing reputation as a premium spirits brand. In 2023, the company added a Gold medal at the London Spirits Awards for their Horopito Spice botanical vodka, alongside two other medal winning offerings, and claimed the coveted best NZ spirit award.
As a passion project of owners Liz Scott and Glen Cadwallader, the family-run boutique craft distillery on Waiheke Island reflects their combined passions and is anchored on the philosophy of provenance, sustainability, and delivering exceptional experiences.
Although we were established in 2018, it took three years before we were ready to open, but from the moment the product was in front of people we’ve been getting incredible feedback and international accolades
The recognition fast tracked Waiheke’s UK launch, with Liz Scott flying to London to sample the range of gins to an elite audience. The results were positive, with the spirits generating a great deal of buzz among the taste makers.
And that’s just the beginning: “We’ve also recently launched an artisan G&T RTD based on Spirit of Waiheke, which is stocked on Fullers ferries and has been selling exceptionally well,” says Scott. “This is a first for Waiheke and is an exciting and convenient way to introduce our artisan products to a broader range of discerning customers.”
Other new initiatives include creating custom gin blends for high end customers and offering the distillery’s stunning setting as a venue for weddings, corporate functions and bespoke events.
Waiheke Distillery
The UK launch is another step along the way to global growth. “With the UK’s rich gin tradition, we think it is incredibly interesting for us and we wanted to have the opportunity to expand there,” says Scott.
The Strive for Perfection event offered an opportunity to showcase Waiheke products to an elite audience, and given that Waiheke was already receiving requests from NZ customers to ship its products to the UK, it became clear that Scott and Cadwallader needed to set up a sales channel in the UK.
And for that, the company needed an accounting firm able to handle every aspect of the set-up process.
“Paul was the best professional possible to entrust with this ‘mission’,” Scott says. “He is a highly respected accountant with a strong network in both New Zealand and UK. His company brand values aligned strongly with ours; so all of that made Paul Beare the ideal choice for our UK businessplans and market introduction.
Scott says the team at Paul Beare Ltd has assisted Waiheke across each aspect of setup. “Opening a company bank account can be difficult if you are not physically present, and Paul’s team helped us in setting up everything we needed seamlessly, including VAT registration, Company Bank Accounts and our UK Xero.
“The fact that we’re so confident that Paul and the team are absolute experts in counselling foreign companies in the UK market that we’ve had great peace of mind in completing tasks that would otherwise have been challenging and demanding.”
In addition, they are on site and able to act on our behalf – and that is extremely valuable They keep advising us anytime we need and even with processing our payments. With a small team and limited resources we feel like Paul Beare is an extension of our Waiheke Distilling Company family.”
Paul Beare says working with the business both in NZ and the UK has been an immensely rewarding experience. “We are very proud to be supporting Waiheke Distilling Co.
“Not only does it showcase a truly beautiful part of New Zealand of Waiheke Island, it also resonates with a significant passion throughout the world, the love of gin and New Zealand botanical vodka’s.
We’re excited to see how their UK expansion plans unfold, and of course we’ll be there with them every step of the way.”
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