Work is nearing completion on new premises for a Yorkshire small business success story.
Masons Yorkshire Gin’s new distillery, bottling, labelling and warehousing plant is due to open in a matter of weeks less than a year after the business suffered a major fire.
Rishi Sunak MP visited the firm’s new plant on the Leeming Bar Business Park as owners Karl and Cathy Mason prepared to commission their new still to produce their award-winning range of gins.
Since the fire in April 2019, which destroyed the old distillery in Bedale Road, Aiskew, the couple and their 30 staff have continued production using spare distilling capacity at other producers but sticking to the tried and trusted recipies and blends which have been the bedrock their success.
The Masons established their business in 2013 based on their shared enthusiam for gin. Then it was the county’s first gin producer and while many others have followed in their wake, Masons Yorkshire Gin is one of the UK’s leading boutique brands, widely available in pubs, supermarkets, off-licenses and other outlets.
As new production plant comes on stream, the Masons revealed that they have secured a major export order for Australia.
Cathy Mason said: “We have been exporting for a few years on a small scale to a few countries now but the order to Australia is the biggest order so far and we hope it leads to more.”
Mr Sunak said he had been hugely impressed by the story of how the company had overcome the devastation of the 2019 fire and seized the opportunity the new distillery and plant presented.
“The Masons have created and grown a new premium Yorkshire product and brand in very short order and their plans for growth, particularly overseas, are really exciting.”
Masons staff are already at work in the new premises. There will shortly be an open day when many of the people and organisations which helped the company through the fire and its immediate aftermath – including firefighters and Hambleton District Council – will be invited to see the new building.
