North Point Distillery win entrepreneur of the year at Caithness Chamber Awards
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North Point Distillery was born in 2020. Starting a business during that year could have been curtains down pretty quickly, but it has been quite the opposite for the Thurso-based elixir extraordinaries.
I had the privilege of chatting with the co-founders of the multi-award winning company, Alex MacDonald and Struan Mackie.
With Struan having just picked up the award for entrepreneur of the year at the Caithness Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, the pair find it humorous that they thought it was a joint accolade when they originally completed the application.
“Unfortunately Alex was ill on the night, so it made it slightly less awkward when it was announced”, joked Struan.
For them to be recognised by their peers in the north is a touching sentiment. Struan said: “Caithness has a small, close-knit business community, so to be recognised for what we are doing, and for pushing the boundaries is really nice.”
Alex added: “There is a degree of validation in this for us. Starting a business in 2020 was maybe not the smartest thing two young guys who had jobs in London could do. This has been one of the most unstable times in recent years for businesses, so it is refreshing to be recognised for our work.”
I was curious to find out what drove them to start a rum-based distillery in Caithness, as the drink is usually a product of hotter climates.
Struan joked: “We thought there were many parallels between Thurso and Barbados.
“But really we had worked together in the past and we had both reached points in our career where we weren’t getting the satisfaction that we could. We both realised that we had a passion for the industry and we had both had different skills to offer.
“When I was younger I had run a small boutique drink business and I remembered it had been one of the happiest times in my career.”
Alex added: “Our eyes lit up whenever we would talk about whisky and rum. So we made a commitment to start a business in January 2020 and went for it.”
Being able to utilise their skills from years in the tech industry, and enshrine their business model in sustainable practices was integral for North Point Distillery to exist. Picking up the environmental sustainability award at the Highland Business Awards is testament to the work they are doing.
“We have underpinned our distillery in sustainability from day one”, said Alex.
“This was always important to us, and I think it would be really hard to go back and retrofit it if we hadn’t done it from the start.
“We always believed that the rum industry was built on archetypes, that we couldn’t go after certain funding and that we had to do it the ‘right way’.
“But we now think of ourselves as tech start-up guys in a distillery and that really means lets push what’s possible. We need to be comfortable with chaos and see where it goes.”
Having increased their capacity and headcount by 50 to 100 per cent year on year since the beginning of the business they have stuck to their mission at hand.
They employ 14 people year round and are now looking to increase this to 25 by Q3 of 2023. In a region that is marked by seasonal work, this has created employment opportunities that are long-lasting with career paths. North Point Distillery has a 99.9 per cent retention rate, and this was recognised when it was a finalist in the Highland Business Awards for the employer of the year category.
North Point Distillery has also been successful in gaining over half a million in foreign investment, which all goes to helping the local economy.
Both Alex and Struan say that have undoubtedly learnt several lessons, since going into business.
Alex said: “We have both found out that there is no such thing as a weekend anymore. We have both been in start-ups before, but it is different when you own it.
“We have also learnt that flexibility and adaptability are not the same things. Sometimes you have to choose one over the other. You may have to break the way you are doing something rather than try and squeeze it into place.
“Lastly we have also found that if you are buying something you should make sure it has two uses.”
The two lads who turned a dream into a reality also have some tips for anyone thinking about doing the same thing.
“Unless you have the passion don’t go through with it”, said Struan.
“If you have a passion, then running a business and starting it is a fantastic thing to do. But it is a constant struggle. We traded for several months before we could afford to pay for ourselves. But if you are passionate, go for it.”
Alex added: “Spend longer on your business plan than you think is necessary.
“We went through 84 different iteration’s of ours. We had someone who challenged us, and helped iron out the process. It took over six months for us to understand the industry, what our business would like and what we stood for.
“Basically find someone who hates your idea, and convince them it works.”
I also wanted to find out why people should buy their product. With Christmas hurtling towards us with speed, a bottle of local booze seems like a good gift idea.
Struan said: “We are really, really proud of our products. When we set out to put sustainability at the heart of what we do, we didn’t compromise on the taste.
“When people support us they are supporting a small business that has a big local footprint.
“It has a direct impact in the far North, we want to grow and take on more employees – buying one bottle goes a long way in doing this.”
The pair are now looking forward to a new year, and the next steps in their dream that has turned into a reality.
Alex said: “We are a very small distiller that acts quite big. We do that through our people.
“We are excited to see what happens in 2023 and beyond!”
