TWO friends’ passion for gin has seen them launch their own liquor company.
Tom Pegler, from Upton Upon Severn, and Oli Rashid have launched Zanzibar Liqour Company, selling premium gin and spiced rum.
The company’s first batch of drinks were produced last week and 400 bottles are currently being stored in Worcester.
And running the business currently involves working late into the night after the friends have finished their day jobs - Tom at Ernst & Young and Oli, who lives in Henley-in-Arden, at Jaguar Land Rover.
Tom said they both discovered their love of gin while at university in Swansea.
“We thought, ‘wouldn’t it be cool to make our own gin’,” he said. “That idea snowballed and we came up with a name - Zanzibar, because Oli’s dad is from Zanzibar and my mum was born in Tanzania.
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“We pitched the idea at a mini Dragon’s Den event at uni and came second, were given a bit of money and bought a still.
“We made a few little batches and did some tasting sessions on a Friday night - that was three years ago and for a while we sat on the idea and did nothing.
“But we still had ideas for the design and everything, and while gin was mainstream, small batch distilling wasn’t.”
The dream is now fast becoming a reality, with Tom and Oli attending their first events with their pop-up Zanzi-bar - a festival at Ragley Hall and a wedding.
“Going to events is the forefront of what we’re doing at the moment,” said Tom, “we’d love to be at Upton Blues Festival and the Three Counties Food Festival.
“We’re also trying to get the gin and rum stocked at local pubs and in Waitrose.”
They are also applying for a premises licence so Tom can sell direct from home.
“The gin and the rum are both bloody good,” laughed Tom. “The gin is made using our own recipe and with ingredients from Zanzibar.
“The rum is five-years aged in oak barrels in Antigua and then infused with spices in the UK.”
Right now, you can get hold of Zanzibar gin and rum from the website zanzibar-gin.com or by catching them at an event.
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