Business Hour
Lancashire lad Mark Long talks about how Brindle Distillery and the award-winning Cuckoo Gin came to be, through the perfect balance of entrepreneurial spirit and a dash of cautious risk-taking, writes Lucy Bale
The idea for Brindle Distillery was discussed over a family dinner in 2016 with Mark Long, his wife Liz and her parents Gerard and Cath Singleton, who run Holmes Farm in Brindle. Having been in the family for over 100 years, diversifying and making the most of the ‘gin boom’ on the farm seemed like a sensible risk to take. But what made Mark the perfect fit for the task? I caught up with him to find out more about his background and the driving force behind the success of the distillery.
Having spent nearly a decade during the formative years of his career working for one of the largest food producers in the UK, Mark knows a thing or two about what customers want and how to position a product. Following the family dinner discussion, Mark had a decision to make as to whether to play it safe in the company he was successfully developing or take the risk and create something new. He recalls his boss at the time, as he wished him farewell, saying: “Fortune favours the brave.”
I think now with a repertoire of five gins, three vodkas, a rum, various limited edition bottles and many successful events, we can say Mark’s boss was certainly on to something!
With a background in sales, marketing and product creation, Mark knew how important it was for their debut gin to not only taste good, but look good too, as he so rightly puts it: “No one would buy a blank bottle.”
A chance meeting involving Liz who was on a business course, led to a partnership with Graham Walker of Design by Gray, who still creates their branding to this day, nearly eight years later. Graham creatively brought to life Mark’s vision of Cuckoo’s Signature Gin – next came the pertinent task of distilling.
Whilst still juggling a full-time job, Mark made his way around the country learning his trade from distilleries across the UK. It took a number of attempts and a good few questions before they perfected what is now their award-winning Cuckoo Signature gin in 2017. A pitch at Booths with his father-in-law Gerard then successfully secured six months exclusivity before the retailer had even tasted the gin, as they bought into the story behind the product.
The brand grew quickly, with their Cuckoo Spiced Gin launching in the winter of 2017, a few months after their debut gin launched. Further product development was also driven by taste trends in the category and gaps in the market, as well as many personal influences from Mark.
My two favourite stories are those behind Cuckoo’s Solace and Supernova gin. The aptly named Solace, to find comfort in times of distress, was created following Mark’s wife Liz’s recovery from cancer in early 2019. It’s a Mediterranean gin incorporating some of Mark’s favourite flavours, including olive which is also an ode to their daughter of the same name. The charity launch of this gin raised over £26,000, a feat the team feel so incredibly proud of! The second being the story behind Supernova. In true Cuckoo style, the distillery team diversified during the pandemic and hosted live gin tastings over Zoom. After delivering a batch of unnamed gin to hundreds of enthusiasts dialling in for the Zoom session, Mark asked for inspiration for the name – sticking with the ‘S’ theme.
Mark recalls: “Some chap on screen shouted out Supernova, because it tasted like an explosion of grapefruit!” Thus, Cuckoo Supernova was born!
These stories perfectly reflect Mark’s attention to his customers, market trends, product and importantly, the personal touches that sets Cuckoo apart from the rest of the pack.
Just in case their library of spirits wasn’t enough to keep Mark and the team busy, they have worked incredibly hard to grow the brand beyond the bottles. Hospitality felt like the natural next step for Mark, going back to his roots running a kitchen and bar during his time at university. What started off as a post on Facebook, inviting people down to enjoy a gin at the distillery, organically evolved into what is now a fully stocked bar in collaboration with other local suppliers such as Rivington Brew Co and The Whalley Wine Shop. In addition to this, the team hosts various experiences from cocktail masterclasses to gin-making workshops. Recently, they hosted their second Nestival – a sell-out festival celebrating live music, food and of course, Cuckoo gin! The success of their events means exciting things are on the horizon, growing the bar and building a purpose-built food court next year.
When speaking about his biggest achievements, Mark tells me how proud he is of the team. Employing local people and giving them opportunities to grow is something he is truly passionate about, learning from his past experience as to what kind of leader he wants to be. It’s this investment in his team that has helped grow the brand, making them a part of the Cuckoo family who want to see its success. The saying goes, ‘Don’t work with family,’ but Mark and the extended Brindle family have truly proved this theory wrong!
Hearing first-hand the story of how a family chat (indubitably over a G&T) has organically grown into the Cuckoo brand, offering experiences and opportunities to develop local talent is inspiring and I, for one, look forward to seeing what’s to come in the future for Brindle Distillery!
