Dorset gin distillery which exports to Canada welcomes rollover trade deal

A rollover trade deal worth £20 billion between the UK and Canada is being welcomed by Dorset's first gin distillery.

The UK and Canada have locked in their existing trading relationship, worth £20 billion, and agreed to begin negotiating a new more ambitious trade deal as early as next year.

On a video call today (21st November), Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, joined by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and her Canadian counterpart, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng agreed an ‘agreement in principle’ to roll over current EU-Canada trading arrangements and begin negotiations on a new, bespoke UK-Canada trade deal in 2021.

Conker Gin producers started 6 years ago in 2014 as Dorset's first gin distillery and has found success abroad, exporting around 8,000 bottles of gin to Canada since 2018.

Founder & Managing Director at Conker Spirit Rupert Holloway said:

“When I started working on my recipe for the Dorset Dry Gin, I wanted to use botanicals that embody the Dorset countryside. After a full year developing the recipe, I landed on a traditional London Dry gin recipe complimented with elderberries, marsh samphire and gorse flowers handpicked from the local cliff tops''.

“Canada ticked all the boxes for us as an export market, taking into consideration key factors such as geography, culture, and language. We found that, as Canadians take great pride in keeping minibars at home for entertaining guests, products such as our Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur and its 'one ingredient' Espresso Martini serve were especially well-received.

“Thanks to the Department for International Trade, we were part of a very exciting trade mission to Ontario in 2018 to showcase the best of UK spirits. The trip was a crucial stepping stone to meeting new contacts and for our long-term success in Canada."