End of year round-up from the team at Hattiers Rum
As another year draws to a close, we take this time to take a step back and reflect on what has been. From beginning to end, 2022 has been nothing short of a whirlwind here at Hattiers Rum and despite what has been another turbulent year for the industry and Britain as a whole, it has been an exciting time for the business as we head into a very busy 2023.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your custom and support this year and hope that you enjoy reading our end of year round-up.
We started the year with great gusto and enthusiasm, ready to work hard on our plans for the year.
In February our Founder & CEO Philip Everett-Lyons became a finalist of the Food & Drink Heroes Awards in the Alcoholic Drink Entrepreneur of the Year category. Amongst the sizable 700 entries this year, (almost double last year’s entries!) this was the toughest year yet to make the Food & Drink Heroes shortlist, so we were absolutely thrilled and humbled that Philip was nominated.
There were many esteemed judges on the panel this year including Adrian Boswell, senior food buyer of Selfridges, John Shepherd of Partridges and fellow B Corps including Jon Wright, co-founder of innocent Drinks and Jam Jar Investments and Ben Greensmith of Tony's Chocoloney.
Joining the Alumni of F&D Heroes is an honour, with previous winners including Jonathan Petrides of Allplants, Helen & Simon Pattinson of Montezuma's, John Burke & Jon Hulme of Craft Gin Club and 2021's Alcoholic Drink Entrepreneur of the Year Ralph Broadbent of The Greater Good Fresh Brewing Co.
February also marked six months of being listed nationwide at Waitrose & Partners. Beyond our shared values and commitment to sustainability we are proud to be punching above our weight to satisfy the increase in demand for premium, authentic rum and supply the nation through our partnership with Waitrose. We look forward to what's in store (so to speak) in 2023, stay tuned for further updates as we have big plans.
The final headline in February was a trio of design awards. We were honoured that our bottle designs were recognised, winning Gold at the World Brand Design Society Awards. We could not be prouder of our wonderful design team Kingdom & Sparrow and their work with us since 2017. Long term relationships mean so much to us at Hattiers, and to see our bottle design recognised in this way was humbling.
The B Corp pop-up shop "Good News" was open throughout March in the heart of Soho, London. Featuring over 100 B Corp brands including Hattiers, it invited shoppers behind the B to learn about the latest innovations and technology within the B Corp Community and meet the B Lab UK team.
Good News was a corner shop style pop-up which did not sell products in the traditional sense, but instead acted as a physical anchor to showcase business as a force for good, to educate and inspire consumers to buy better goods and services and learn about what's #BehindTheB during B Corp month. We were also excited to partner with fellow B Corp Vita Coco for their Good News takeover, where some delicious Hattiers Pina Colada cocktails were served to 200 guests during an evening of inspiring conversation surrounding sustainable business, positive impact and continuous improvement.
The store was a huge success, with over 3,000 visitors throughout the month and a campaign that reached over 60 million people worldwide. Bring on next year!
During B Corp month we also celebrated with a partnership of the UK's most sustainable spirits brands. As the UK's first B Corp certified Rum, we wanted to shout about our friends The Botanist and Bruichladdich, the first B Corp Certified Scotch whisky distillery, about the incredible work that they're doing to create a more circular process from farm to bottle which works with nature, not against it.
The final good news of the month came from a trio of awards once again from IWSC, where Resolute won silver with 91 points, Egremont won Bronze with 88 points and Eminence also won Bronze with 86 points.
In April, hundreds of business leaders gathered in parliament to advocate for The Better Business Act, in a campaign led by Mary Portas. The Better Business Act will amend section 172 of The Companies Act to ensure that company directors are responsible for advancing the interests of shareholders alongside those of wider society and the environment. We are proud to be within the first businesses to sign the Better Business Act in 2021 and will continue to support this campaign.
May marked 12 months of our partnership with fellow B Corp organisation Ecologi who plant trees around the world for future carbon capture and fund quantifiable Gold Standard certified climate crisis solutions that provide immediate solutions, using a funding strategy guided by the Climate Committee following Project Drawdown framework.
Beyond our existing targets for carbon reduction we have offset 136.65 Tonnes of carbon and have planted over 2,747 trees. Take a look at the projects funded by Hattiers in more detail here.
Hosted by Mike and Zara Tindall, Hattiers proudly supported a day of golf on 14th May to raise important funds for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and The Matt Hampson Foundation.
Over 100 VIP guests teed off from the famous Brabazon Course at The Belfry Hotel and Resort, followed by a charity auction and dinner that went late into the evening.
The final sum raised for both charities has not been announced (£190,000 was raised in 2021), but a wonderful day was had sipping Hattiers Dark and Stormy cocktail with Luscombe hot ginger beer in the company Zara's brother Peter Phillips and other VIPs/sporting greats including Denise Van Outen, Brian McFadden and BBC presenter Dan Walker. It was a day spent in high spirits for a great causes.
At the end of May, Marek Reichman, Chief Creative Officer, Aston Martin and Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive, Illustrated London News along with Hattiers Rum hosted esteemed guests to celebrate the 50th edition of Aston Martin Magazine, the 2021/2022 Aston Martin Yearbook and a Showcase of the newly launched DBX707. Set over four floors with an unprecedented 15,000 sq ft in the heart of Knightsbridge, London, the stunning, expansive Luxury Pavilion at Smallbone provided the perfect backdrop for this exclusive event.
June brought hot weather and a busy month of events, including the sponsorship of the inaugural Spirit Yachts Regatta at St Peter's Port in Guernsey. Ten Spirit yachts ranging from 37 to 65 feet competed in a six-race series, which was won by Spirit 52 Flight of Ufford. It was wonderful to see so many stunning Spirit Yachts together for the first time, followed by a knees-up pontoon party hosted by Hattiers Rum.
We were thrilled to return home from Cowes to news that our founder Philip had been shortlisted for Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year at this year's Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
The month ended with a charity event, supporting Devon Environment Foundation and their grassroots nature regeneration projects within Devon and its coastal waters. The evening was a huge success with thousands of pounds raised for the cause.
Another month, another regatta, this time in Cowes for the 20th anniversary of British Classics Week, hosted by British Classic Yacht Club (BCYC). For the second year running, Hattiers was proud to host the sunshine-filled post race pontoon party with our friends QUBA, along with a boat drop of rum on the finish line to celebrate the final race.
In July we also collaborated with Double Dutch Drinks, for a pop-up in Covent Garden and ended the month with two busy days at The Whisky Exchange Rum Show where rum enthusiasts from near and far gathered to discover the world's best rum.
In 2021 Hattiers Eminence Blended Aged Rum was crowned 'Best Rum' at The Great British Food Awards. This year as reigning champions our founder Philip Everett-Lyons was invited to join the panel of esteemed judges in September to select the successor to Eminence in the Rum category and also the best Flavoured Rum in Britain.
Independent crowned Eminence the 'Best White Sipping Rum' in their round up of their best rums for 2022 in October, we were absolutely thrilled that our most complex rum had once again gained such recognition.
Here's what they had to say:"This bottling shows off what great blending skills can do. The British-made spirit contains eight different rums from four different countries – Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica and, unusually, Australia – as well as super fresh Dartmoor water from South Devon. Some rums have been aged (some for as long as eight years) while others have never seen time in a barrel. The result is a white spirit that has rich body and the smooth vanilla, cream and fudge notes that come with aging – yet still plenty of fresh fruity, grassy zip. It’s basically a halfway point between a classic white and a golden rum, and we’re super into it. Delicious sipped solo over ice." - Alicia Miller
In November, we joined B Lab UK in celebrating the milestone of 1,000 B Corps in the UK. When Hattiers became the first B Corp certified rum back in 2020 there were under 500, so to reach 1,000 (and counting) in only two years feels like a huge step in the right direction for business in the UK.
Next up at the end of November was Opt-Outside, where some the Hattiers and Red Padle Co teams came together in a bid to say no to the promotion of mass consumerism in the Black Friday and Cyber Mondy sales. It was a hard days work volunteering with local environmental projects Till the Coast is Clear, sorting plastic waste gathered from our South Devon Beaches, followed by The Deer Wood Trust where we helped to clear access to the further reaches of their woodland project and a team lunch.
We officially announced our brand partnership with Red Paddle Co in December along with the launch of a range of exclusive co-branded kit, designed to encourage everyday adventures. Founder and CEO of Red Paddle Co, John Hibbard, says: “We're delighted to be working with a fellow South Devon brand that shares a similar love of coastal adventures. We're all about balance in life and after an epic paddle-boarding trip, what could be better than ending the day with a tot of rum! It's also great to be collaborating with a B Corp certified company as we reach the final stages of our application and certification.”
You can read more about the Hattiers x Red partnership here.
The year ended with a flurry of activity in Waitrose & Partners, where customers sampled Egremont Premium Reserve Rum and enjoyed 20% off, just in time for Christmas. We were also delighted to have an interview with our founder Philip feature in the Christmas Waitrose Drinks magazine.
What a year it has been! We would once again like to thank you all for your continued support this year, we couldn't have done any of this without you and we hope that you are as excited as we are for what we have up our sleeves for the upcoming year.
Cheers to 2022 and welcome 2023!
The Hattiers Team.
