A natural upcycler who turned his engineering skills to crafting award-winning spirits, the man behind Gloucestershire firm The Boutique Distillery, Jon Harper, made sustainability a cornerstone of his business. He converted his garage, built a still out of an old beer keg and started perfecting his gin recipes. Turns out, they were pretty good! He won stars in the prestigious Guild of Fine Food — Great Taste Awards; and that caught the attention of Gordon Ramsay and Dragons’ Den.
Growing up in New Zealand, Jon was born with an innate sense of curiosity. Little did he know, his curious mind would one day lead to a homemade moonshine still and a lifetime passion for brewing! Working as an Engineer Apprentice in his late teens, Jon was approached by a guy in his village to build an upcycled contraption that could transform fermented corn mash into whiskey. “Seeing that murky, smelly liquid transform into something drinkable blew my mind!” regaled Jon.
In 2000, Jon moved to the UK to pursue a career in Engineering, but by 2018, the itch to get back to brewing was too strong to ignore, and The Boutique Distillery was born.
One day, while chatting with his wife in a café about the distillery’s potential, a woman overheard and exclaimed: ‘You have to get in touch with The Growth Hub!’ The advice and guidance Jon received enabled him to create a solid foundation to grow his business. He learnt the importance of pricing strategies for on-trade and off-trade; how to approach buyers; and to harness B2B and B2C marketing. Jon also received guidance on improving his website.
I knew how to make great spirits, but running a business? That was a whole different ball game. The Growth Hub and its resources were total game-changers
Invaluable to his journey, was the expert support Jon received from our Net Zero Team – learning how to decarbonise in an organic and sustainable way as the business grew. To showcase his story and inspire other like minded entrepreneurs, Jon was invited to speak at The Growth Hub Stroud about sustainability in brewing and distilling.
This Net Zero event led to an unexpected but incredible opportunity for Jon, when a buyer in the audience invited him to supply the distillery’s award-winning HAKA Premium Rum at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2024!
As of January 2025, the business is welcoming a new partner and investor on board — and planning a big move to much larger purpose-built premises in the Cotswolds. Jon has plans to fill every bar in the UK with their HAKA rums; and they have an incredible opportunity with their new partner to export into Europe, USA, Japan and beyond.
I owe a great deal to The Growth Hub and moving forward, I’ll absolutely stay connected. If there’s ever an opportunity for me to share my experience whether through talks, presentations, or simply telling my story to inspire others, I’ll be there!
To read the full story, in Jon’s own words, check out his interview with SoGlos here: How The Boutique Distillery is brewing success with The Growth Hub Gloucestershire
Got a great idea? Begin your journey with expert advice and guidance.
START HERE
You’re up and running – discover new opportunities and how to unlock them.
START HERE
Grow further, add value and enhance capabilities with our help.
START HERE
It’s our mission to make free business support accessible for every Gloucestershire business.
Talk to our navigators, attend training or events and work with our team to grow your business.
Unlock your productivity with the co-working office spaces we have available across our hubs, bookable by anyone.
