Elephant Gin has expanded its distilling capabilities, investing €4 million ($4.2 million) in a new distillery site in Germany, effectively doubling its production capacity.
Located in Wittenburg, near Hamburg, the facility will serve as the brand’s official home and will open its doors to the public for distillery tours starting later this month.
Within the new establishment, you’ll find a bar and a specially crafted copper still that the company claims is “double the size of the previous one.”
The former distillery was situated in Hagenow, to the southeast of Wittenburg.
Founded in 2013 by Tessa and Robin Gerlach, the brand donates 15% of its profits to support African elephant charities and conservation initiatives. To date, it has successfully raised €1 million through a combination of sales and fundraising events.
The product range is accessible through on-premise, off-premise, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels, which include platforms like Amazon, The Whiskey Exchange, and the company’s own website. The founders emphasized that each of these channels holds significant importance in their distribution strategy.
Tessa and Robin Gerlach said, “The on-trade was where Elephant Gin started its journey when we launched in 2013, and it remains an incredibly important channel for us to continue to build the brand and ensure bartenders are inspired to use Elephant Gin every day.
“Both off-premise and D2C are also important and we work tirelessly to ensure we build visibility and community across both of these channels.”
The lineup comprises Elephant London Dry Gin, Elephant Sloe Gin, Elephant Gin at 57% ABV, and Elephant Orange Cocoa Gin.
To commemorate its ten-year anniversary this year, the company is introducing a unique 40% ABV gin named “African Explorer.”
The company has committed to contributing 15% of the profits generated from African Explorer to the African Wildlife Foundation. This support will be facilitated through the recently established Elephant Gin Foundation, which operates as a grant-making nonprofit organization.
Elephant Gin is currently exported to more than 40 markets, which encompass regions such as the UK, Italy, Spain, Benelux, and, most recently, the United States.
Its co-founders added, “We are always looking to expand into new markets so long as the opportunity and partner is right for us. However, it is equally important to continue to build the brand within the current markets we operate in as there is still huge opportunity to scale and grow market share.
“For example, we recently launched in the USA which is a huge market behaving similarly to separate countries within one. It is therefore important we continue to focus on building Elephant Gin in key states with support from our distribution partners.”