A new collaboration between Northern-based Strait Brands and Hillwood berries has lead to an exciting new range of berry-flavoured gin. 

More than a decade in the making, the product is the work of Strait Brands managing director Philip Ridyard, who started the project in 2003. 

After being unemployed for nearly two years, Mr Ridyard said he decided to get back to his roots following previous experience in the UK’s drinks industry.  

“I just sat down and devised a plan to create a job for myself and for other people,” he said. 

The gin and vodka is currently bottled at Hangar 17 at Launceston Airport, with a development application granted for a new 13-hectare property in York Town.

Mr Ridyard said the move to a bigger site would allow the spirits to be bottled at the source of the spring water that is critical to product’s smoothness and production volume. 

A few weeks ago, Strait Brands launched its latest strawberry and raspberry gins, all naturally flavoured from Hillwood berries. 

Mr Ridyard said the collaboration with local fruit growers was the key to the latest product finally hitting shelves. 

“We trialed raspberry gin back in 2006, but at the time couldn’t guarantee supply of the berries,” he said. 

“Hillwood now have a surplus of fruits so we can buy it and ensure the products stability in the market. 

“The whole original strategy of the business was making vodka and gin and then developing flavours with locally sourced service fruit, which basically had no market. 

“With the poly tunnels down there at Hillwood they are really just growing them for fun and it has worked out great for us.” 

The raspberry and strawberry gins join a growing list of Strait Brand products, including lemon, sloe and hazelnut gin, and pepperberry vodka. 

Strait Brands is also planning on releasing a cherry flavoured gin in January.

Mr Ridyard said the popularity of gin in Australia had redefined the market in the past five years. 

“When we launched, we were selling five bottles of vodka to on bottle of gin,” he said. 

“But our gin was the first premium gin in Australia, made in Australia. 

“So we were ahead of our time. 

“There was previously no premium gin in Australia and the last five years it has just gone bananas. 

“Not taking into account the strawberry, we now sell five bottles of gin to every bottle of vodka.” 

Mr Ridyard said the indication from the last few weeks was that people loved the latest berry products, with the Strait Brands team currently working around the clock to meet the demand before Christmas. 

“It takes 2252 lemons to every thousand litres of gin so that’s a lot,” he said. 

“We can’t say how many punnets of strawberries are in a bottle, because I haven’t done the calculations yet. 

“But it is effectively half and half, which is a lot of strawberries.”