How Lorna Scott Founded Inverroche Distillery
How Lorna Scott Founded Inverroche Distillery. As the pioneers of South African craft gin, Inverroche Distillery was founded by Lorna Scott and her family. Growing from strength to strength in the local community of Still Bay in the Western Cape of Southern Africa. In just 6 years, the distillery has grown from a small home industry to a flourishing and pioneering craft distillery. A distillery that is invested in its community and producing world class gins and spirits.
Inverroche takes its name from the combination of two words that pay homage to the Scott ancestry, referencing both their Celtic and Gaelic backgrounds. The Scottish word “Inver” meaning ‘a confluence of water’ and the French word “Roche” meaning ‘rock or stone’ are the very elements that have come together in Still Bay to create the conditions necessary to make these world class, oneof-a-kind craft gins. Today the brand has three distinct gins, crafted using only a handful of the more than 9,000 Fynbos botanicals. The company can proudly say that it is selling these craft gins in up to 15 countries globally.
The founder and CEO, Lorna Scott, discovered her inner gin making through a curious path. Following her career path as the Deputy Mayor of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape – the small town where she grew up. During this journey she was involved in sustainable development which inspired her to develop the region as a tourist destination and create employment amongst the local community. Before she knew it, she was experimenting by infusing the abundant fynbos into her small batch of gins which led to the success of the Inverroche global brand. A curious and fiercely determined personality who combines her passion for sustainability and distilling with in-depth knowledge of the local biome and inimitable love for this part of the world, Lorna is the driving force behind Inverroche, seeking to create a brand with historical significance that aims to reconnect people to each other and their natural environment.
“I was lucky,” Lorna says, “In that I had two very knowledgeable people to help guide me through the thousands of botanicals available here; there are more than 9,000 species of plant in our natural habitat – plants found in great numbers on our doorstep and nowhere else on the planet. Fortunately, the late Dr. Tol Pienaar and his wife Annette, the two local botanists who supported me helped narrowed down the list of botanicals to 300 for me to try.Without them, literally we’d still be searching.”
As the gins quickly found an audience both at home and abroad, the extended family has multiplied to keep up with demand. The company is extremely proud that just under 70% of its employees are indigenous women from the local area. The knock-on effect is dramatic, it means that at least 45 families are directly sharing in its success. The impact of the distillery is also being felt by local business and tourism as more and more people are brought to Still Bay to discover for themselves the unfolding story of the unique gins.
As the company expands globally, and has a stronger presence in South Africa, it has also been fortunate to be able to grow its sales and marketing teams to ensure the brand equity and quality remains in the forefront of its local and international fans!
