Today the whole world celebrates International Women's Day and we want to meet you with drinks brands that are owned and co-owned by incredible, inspiring, and self-sufficient women. You can find the history of their brands and their amazing products here at Lassou.
Caleño
Caleño is a delicious non-alcoholic aperitif packed with tropical fruits and amazing flavours. It was created by Ellie Webb in 2020 with a big desire to make something so delicious that everyone could experience the joy of not drinking. Inspired by this desire and her journey to Colombia, Ellie bottled these experiences and that is how Caleño was born. We were so excited about Caleño Drinks and wanted to find out more about this tropical zero alcohol drink. Read our interview with Ellie here.
Warner’s Distillery
Tina Warner-Keough is a co-founder of Warner's Distillery. Together with her husband Tom, they have created one of the most popular British small-batch gin brands, and now they are rocking the rum category with their amazing award-winning rum. Tina and her husband are working on initiatives, education and campaigns to support responsible waste management and sustainable ways of producing alcohol.
In my role leading our amazing team of legends at Warner’s Distillery, and as someone who has had to push to get beyond gender bias coming from quite a traditional Irish farming family, I feel like I have a real responsibility to try to create and nurture the best environment for our team, one where everyone feels equal, valued, supported and hopefully empowered to get after it and help save the world from mediocre gin, regardless of beliefs, characteristics, background, or preferences, - notes Tina.
Whisp Drinks
Whisp is one of only 19% of UK startups founded by women. Whisp Drinks launched in September 2020. Created by personal trainer Harriet Cumin, these hard seltzers are perfect drinks for those who want to drink less and drink better. Whisp Hard seltzers are 100% sourced and made in the UK, they even contain a milk thistle to help tackle inflammation and support a healthy liver.
Whisp Drinks are better for you and our planet! The brand collaborates with The Drinks Trust, an organization that supports the drink industry employees in these times of uncertainty. In order to reduce the carbon footprint, the ingredients are collected in sustainable ways, and Whisp team plants trees for each Whisp member every month in conjunction with Offset Earth. That's what we call a climate-positive brand! Meet Harriet here.
Nc’nean Distillery
Annabel Thomas, the founder of Nc'nean Organic Whisky Distillery, is on a mission to create experimental spirits and pioneer sustainable methods of production of alcohol.
Annabel started Nc’nean to change the way the world thinks about whisky from Scotland. She spent four years raising funds and building the Nc’nean distillery from the ground up on the west coast of Scotland. Annabel started distilling in 2017, she is running the entire operation on renewable energy, and recently launched her first organic single malt whisky.
Nc'nean is a predominantly female team, and today, on International Women's Day, they launched a blog post, answering the most popular question they get asked the most DO WOMEN DRINK WHISKY? - this blog post is highly recommended for reading.
Avallen Spirits
Stephanie Jordan, the co-founder of Avallen Spirits, has built a great career in the drinks industry. After stepping away from the position of Tanqueray’s first female global ambassador, Stephanie launched Drinking Out Loud, her own consultancy company, and now she works with some of the world’s most prestigious drinks brands.
In 2019, Stephanie co-founded Avallen, a sustainable brand of Calvados, apple brandy, with the aim to create the most planet-positive spirit. Avallen has won multiple awards for the environmental credentials, incredible taste, sustainable packaging and creative design.
Stephanie leads the commercial side of the business, she controls the regulation, sale, and marketing of the Avallen calvados.
Nice Drinks
Lucy Wright is a co-founder of Nice Drinks, the first canned wine brand 0n the UK market. She was creating Nice with the mission to make wine more accessible, modern, and fun.
“ It needed a bit of a female touch and we could make it more fun and approachable” - said Lucy in her recent interview for Hustle Hers.
Now Nice features three wine varieties: Malbec, Rosé, and Sauvignon Blanc. Cans are fully recyclable, safer than glass, and perfect in size, especially, when you don’t want to drink the whole bottle at a time.
Brighton Gin
Kathy Caton is the founder of Brighton gin. She founded her spirits company with a mission to create a gin that embodies the Spirit of Brighton: unusual, playful and fiercely independent.
Brighton Gin is an ethical spirits brand that takes sustainability as a part of its journey. Every bottle of Brighton Gin is filled, waxed and labeled by hand by the friends-and-family team. It is the UK’s first vegan-certified gin, including not only the liquid but the packaging, label gum and wax top.
Apart from being the face of Brighton Gin, Kathy is also can be found on BBC Sussex and Brighton’s community radio station, RadioReverb.
XECO Wines
XECO Wines was founded in 2016 by a trio of “fino fiends” – Beanie, Alexa and Polly – out of their mutual love of sherry and endless desire to share this love with people around the globe.
Beanie Geraedts-Espey is XECO's M.D. based in London and is also in charge of managing production down in the Sherry triangle in Andalucia.
Alexa Keymer manages UK, European and US sales operations.
Polly Aylwin-Foster manages XECO's growing Asian export markets which currently include HK, China and Japan.
XECO Wines is a new generation sherry dedicated to putting a modern edge on a “grannies drink”, which people think sherry is and encourage a new generation of discerning drinkers to give sherry a second look. Beanie, Alexa and Polly launched XECO Fino, which is a super refreshing and fantastically easy-going wine and XECO Amontillado - a rich and delightful sherry, with nutty and vanilla notes coming to the fore. Discovr more about XECO Wines and meet the founders here.
