NEWS
Steel River :
A gin to call our own
Creating a range of gins that Teesside can be proud of has become a reality for Thornaby-born Jay Byers
A
world away from the slick corporate branding of some major labels , Steel River Gin was born and bred on the Tees and evokes the spirit of all that ’ s unique and wonderful about our region .
With eye-catching packaging featuring the iconic Transporter Bridge , uplit bottle and detachable filled “ ginflask ”, Steel River gin is the culmination of a dream for its creator .
On track for a £ 1m turnover , Steel River ’ s story is even more amazing given that just three years ago Jay had no experience or formal training in distilling , no money , a broken heart and mental health issues !
“ I owned a rundown property just outside Granada in Spain with my partner ,” says Jay , whose background is in hospitality .
“ Sadly , the financial crisis happened and we ended up back in the UK .”
Jay ’ s resulting depression caused the couple to split and , pulling the last of his cash together , he flew back to Spain in a bid to reset his life .
In Granada Jay saw how popular gin was and decided to hold a festival , persuading producers to make the trip and putting their product in front of 250 gin lovers .
“ It didn ’ t make money but it gave me a purpose ,” admits Jay .
With a new found love of the drink and a contact who would become his mentor , Jay headed back to Teesside to launch a gin cruise business .
“ I was living in my parents ’ house , in my old bedroom , with about £ 30 to my name ,” he laughs .
Within three days Steel River Gin Cruises were sold out .
“ I realised very quickly that Teessiders wanted their own gin ,” he says .
With the help of his mentor , who provided equipment and training , Jay created Stainsby Girl , a bright blue concoction of prickly pear , watermelon , fig and grapefruit .
Named after a song by his hero Chris Rea , Jay marketed Stainsby Girl on Facebook .
The Teesside-centric packaging and backstory hit a chord with followers .
“ My A level art finally came in useful ,” laughs Jay , who did all the design himself .
“ The Steel River premium bottle is very masculine , so I wanted to soften it ,” he says .
“ I designed a detachable mini ‘ ginflask ’ and came up with the concept of an uplit bottle .”
Five more fabulous gins followed the launch of Stainsby Girl – El Classico , Pink Dragon , Northern Lights , Club Tropicana and Very Berry .
With the advent of Covid , more people were drinking at home and looking for a gin to savour – and sales went through the roof .
By April 2020 , Steel River had to fight to keep up with demand from clients as far afield as the US .
The search is now on for bigger premises and Jay has big dreams for the future .
“ We ’ d love a Steel River Café Bar – a place where you can have a drink but also see the gin being made .” “ We ’ re also planning a gin school .” Jay has even landed a book deal to tell the story of the brand ’ s journey .
Tees Business readers can use the code TEESBIZ10 to get 10 % off all Steel River Gin .
Steel River Gin ’ s Jay Byers supporting charity with Teesside Philanthropic Foundation trustee Emily Bentley .
Amid all this good news , Jay recognises how low he had been and has vowed to give back .
He supports the Middlesbrough and Teesside Ambitions - Jay Byers . Philanthropic Foundation , donating his time and gin hampers for its prize draws , as well as helping Little Sprouts and other local food banks .
He has also created the Big Balls drinks range , which will be sold in bars and pubs , with all the net profits going to worthy causes and initiatives promoting and aiding mental health awareness .
And Jay runs a weekly Community Spirit Award , with a bottle of gin and a trophy presented to an unsung community hero and their story featured on the Steel River Drinks ’ website .
“ Teesside welcomed me with open arms when I was at my lowest and I will never forget that ,” says Jay .
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