Spirits firm House of Boë serving up first permanent bricks-and-mortar site and targeting major sales growth

House of Boë, which says it is one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent gin and vodka producers, is launching its first permanent outlet and targeting topped-up sales.
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The firm, which makes flavoured spirits distilled in Stirling, claims to be the leading independent gin company in Scotland by total sales, across the on and off trades, and is in the top three in the UK.

It added that it has set a sales target of £10 million for the financial year 2022/23 as it emerges from the global pandemic, before which its turnover was £8.5m.

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Its “experiential” retail outlet and venue is launching in South Queensferry next month, coming after it opened a pop-up shop on the site of a former bank during the pandemic.

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To mark the debut, it is unveiling its first limited-edition products – the Queensferry Collection of bespoke gins. Only 1,000 bottles of the Oriental spice-influenced gin will be available and they will initially be sold exclusively at the new site, the firm explained.

House of Boë also says it sells its products mainly across the on trade, in restaurants, for example, and almost 20,000 pubs and bars in the UK, including Green King, Marston’s, Mitchell & Butlers and Stonegate Pub Company venues, as well as independent outlets such as The Dome in Edinburgh.

Its offering is also available in supermarkets including Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and the Co-op, and online, and it has recently started offering its products pre-mixed in cans.

From left: the firm's directors Andrew Richardson (back), Graham Coull, and Carlo Valente. Picture: Mike Wilkinson.From left: the firm's directors Andrew Richardson (back), Graham Coull, and Carlo Valente. Picture: Mike Wilkinson.
From left: the firm's directors Andrew Richardson (back), Graham Coull, and Carlo Valente. Picture: Mike Wilkinson.
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The majority of its sales are in the UK, but it is also growing in Spain and plans to target other European and global markets, added the business, which is run by three drinks sector veteran directors – Andrew Richardson, Carlo Valente, and Graham Coull.

It launched its first gin in 2007, followed in 2016 with its inaugural flavoured product Boë Violet Gin, saying the latter is the only such spirit from a Scottish-owned company in the UK’s top 20 best-selling flavoured gins in the on trade.

House of Boë added that it has 15 staff – ten in Scotland and five in England – following a recruitment drive, including the appointment of a sales person to work with large supermarkets across the UK. It is taking on a retail manager and other staff for its South Queensferry venue.

Strong

The business has set a sales target of £10 million for the financial year 2022/23. Picture: Mike Wilkinson.The business has set a sales target of £10 million for the financial year 2022/23. Picture: Mike Wilkinson.
The business has set a sales target of £10 million for the financial year 2022/23. Picture: Mike Wilkinson.

Mr Richardson said: “We’re now in a strong position to open our first brand home in South Queensferry, in which we have already invested more than £200,000.

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“We have grown quickly over the years from a primarily Scottish to a UK-wide business. We see ourselves as risk-takers, willing to stand out from the crowd, hence our move away from craft, with its production focus, to focus on the enjoyment of our drinks and their fit with our consumers’ lifestyles.

“Along with others in the drinks trade, we were impacted by the closure of bars, pubs and other venues during the pandemic, but we continued to put money into our business and are now reaping the benefits. We’re on track to meet our sales target for next year and have many more exciting developments in the pipeline.”

Mr Valente said: “We were ahead of the game when we launched our first flavoured gin. This is now the fastest growing part of the market, and we continue to innovate.”

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