Distillery making spirits from surplus food
BBCA distillery has produced a range of drinks made from surplus food.
The Shropshire Distillery, which is based in Ellesmere, Shropshire, uses unwanted bread, citrus fruits and raspberries from the Shrewsbury Food Hub - a charity which redistributes food which would otherwise go to waste.
The distillery's founders, Emma and Gareth Glynn, have been making gin since 2018 said the idea of the surplus spirits came to them after visiting the charity two years ago.
She said: "I was quite overwhelmed by how much food waste there was."
Their distillery also offers discounts to customers who return their bottles to be refilled and she said they had always been "very mindful of the impact we have".
The married couple, who are originally from Lancashire, said they decided to start distilling after visiting Shropshire and attending a food festival.
Emma, who had been working for the NHS, said she found "the food and drink industry very vibrant," but they were surprised to find there were no gins distilled in the county at the time.
This was a "lightbulb moment" for them, she said, and after moving to the county they decided to fill that gap in the market.
Gareth was a chemical engineer working in the brewing and distilling industry, so using his expertise they set up a small distillery in their garden shed in 2018.
"That set us on the journey and we've not looked back," Emma said.
After 18 months they had both given up their jobs to work on the distilling full-time.
Since then, the couple have won multiple prizes for their gins and recently won gold award for their Spring Vodka at The Gin Guide Spirit Awards.
The idea to use surplus food came after a visit to the Shrewsbury Food Hub.
It was established in 2016 to take surplus food from supermarkets, manufacturers and farms and share it with local charities and community groups, as well as food share events where anyone can donate in return for the produce.
Emma said they thought the charity did a "fantastic job" and they went away asking themselves: "What can we do with that?"
After two years of experimentation the result was a bread-based spirit, a vodka made with lemons and limes and a raspberry vodka.
The first bottles, named Repurpose, went on sale at the start of June and Emma said even the labels were made from apple pulp.
The spirits are mainly available through their shop in Ellesmere, but she said they hoped to get it distributed more widely in the future.
Gareth said the business might look to do more food surplus spirits in the future and would also donate some of the profits to food waste initiatives.
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