In 2013, Pat Rigney was on the hunt for investors. A former senior director at Baileys and a co-founder of the Boru vodka brand, Rigney had developed a business plan to start a new distillery in the west of Ireland that would make premium gin, whiskey and vodka targeted at the high-end of the consumer drinks market.

Despite a proven track record in the drinks sector developing brands such as Sheridan’s cream liqueur, Rigney was repeatedly given a flat no by banks, venture capital funds and state agencies when looking for startup funding to get his new distillery off the ground.

Last year, the business sold its 100,000th case of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin.

Convinced he was on the right track, the Dublin native persevered and finally caught a break when Enterprise Ireland agreed to support his new business.

Under the state agency’s high potential startup (HPSU) fund, Rigney was able to draw down €275,000 in seed funding.

This investment funding from Enterprise Ireland went a long way in helping to establish Rigney’s new distillery, which required a total investment of €1m to build.

On top of this, the new startup company could also draw on the significant marketing resources in Bord Bia to develop its new range of whiskey, gin and vodka brands.

Exports are sent to the US, Hong Kong, Russia, the UK and all throughout mainland Europe.

Known as The Shed Distillery and located in Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, Rigney’s business today employs 35 people, has export sales to 40 international markets and will open a €2m visitor experience centre next summer.

“When we went about establishing this venture, Ireland was still at the end of the crash. I went to the banks and all the funding houses, many of whom are supported in some shape or form by state agencies, and they all said no. And I have a good track record,” says Rigney.

Jobs

“The only people who stepped up to the plate were Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia, who helped us with our brand creation. If they hadn’t supported me, those 35 people in Drumshanbo wouldn’t have jobs today,” he adds.

The success of The Shed Distillery is all the more heartening given that it is located in Co Leitrim, an area of Ireland that has traditionally been starved of inward investment.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin.

According to Rigney, the decision to locate his new distillery in Drumshanbo was an easy one.

“Firstly, my parents first met in Drumshanbo. My mother worked in the Arigna mine outside the town and my dad was a bookkeeper just next door.

"So that was a nice connection to the area. But the real reason I chose Leitrim was the community here,” says Rigney.

They couldn’t have been more helpful, more constructive or more positive

“I met Leitrim County Council and the local community here in Drumshanbo in December 2013, which was probably the darkest time after the crash. And I just connected with the people.

"They couldn’t have been more helpful, more constructive or more positive. And I made the decision to base the new distillery here within 24 hours of that meeting,” he adds.

Aside from the head distiller who came from the US, all the employees at The Shed Distillery are locals who have been trained into the business, says Rigney.

“We work very closely with the community. We’re located at the Food Hub in Drumshanbo, which is a community project. We lease our space in the Food Hub from the community and we’re very focused on building jobs in the area,” he adds.

Pat Rigney, founder of The Shed Distillery.

Right now, the company is in the midst of a €2m capital investment to build a new visitor experience centre alongside the modern distillery, which will be open to tourists in 2020.

Global brand

While the establishment of The Shed Distillery has brought inward investment and created local jobs for Co Leitrim, it has also put the small town of Drumshanbo on the map like never before.

The company’s flagship brand, Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, has been a major success, both here in Ireland and internationally.

Last year, the business sold its 100,000th case of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin with export sales to markets such as the US, Hong Kong, Russia, the UK and all throughout mainland Europe.

Alongside this, The Shed Distillery has a unique vodka brand known as Sausage Tree Pure Irish Vodka, which stands out thanks to the bright red bottle it comes in.

These are what Rigney describes as “remarkable brands”, which he says are built by remarkable people from a remarkable community.

In 2020, The Shed Distillery will bring its first whiskey brand to the market. According to Rigney, this new brand of Irish whiskey will be a five-year-old whiskey marketed at the higher end of the $58bn (€52bn) global whiskey market.

Leaning on his past experience working for Baileys and building the Boru vodka brand, Rigney is building a new range of global drinks brands from a very rural part of Ireland.

Importantly, the brands Rigney is building are steeped in the story and people of Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim.

The success of The Shed Distillery only goes to prove that rural Ireland has many attractive qualities for startup businesses to leverage. You only need to embrace these qualities and you too can build a remarkable business.