Several years ago, I was at our local Shongweni Farmers Market and was intrigued to see a vendor dispensing G&T’s on tap and thought it an interesting idea. But I was hesitant to try as not only was it barely 10AM but the limited experience I’d had with ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) had turned me off them. But I did attempt to find out who the distiller was behind the idea, with no success.
Years later, after a tip from a friend, I find myself on a slalom course, dodging the ubiquitous potholes that make driving rural South African roads a real adventure, on my way to The Gin Co, the distillery I had tried to locate. Tucked away in the hills of Alverstone, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa and located on a 30 acre smallholding that was once a mushroom farm, I was greeted by Donneè Standeaven. She is one of the four family members who own and run the Shongweni Farmers Market, plus both the distillery and the Standeaven Brewery, which are located on the farm.
Accompanied by a passel of assorted dogs, we made our way down to the sprawling house to be greeted by an impressive array of The Gin Co gins and RTD 4-packs. Even with the COVID-19 shutdown and alcohol prohibition in place, the distillery is busy with export orders and Shaun Standeaven, the distiller-in-chief was in and out as he saw to a delivery of bottles for an RTD order heading to Botswana.
Shaun, Christine, Keith and Donneè Standeaven
The rest of the family filled me in on the fascinating stories that brought them to the development of their delightful range.
“We do what we love, and love what we do. You can taste it in our gin. Infused with only real ingredients and crafted by hard working hands in very small batches. Our family is proud to bring you limited releases of our creations.”
It’s a real family affair, with the entire family working in the businesses they have created. Keith and Christine started the Market way back in 1998. Shaun travelled the world and found his passion in the food and spirits world, becoming a brewer and most recently, the head distiller at The Gin Co. Donneè went into the corporate world but never ventured far from her roots, originally studying and working in agriculture. Just a couple of months ago, she returned to the family fold to assist with marketing and promotions and anything else that needs doing!
The Standeaven Brewery was established when Shaun returned from his travels abroad, where his remarkable palate was acknowledged and resulted in a job offer at one of the largest liquor distributors in the USA. But he chose family over the “dream job” when his mother became ill, returning home. He said, “I do think about what could have been but look at what we have now,” pointing proudly to the display spread out on the table.
In 2012 the family tried to buy an existing brewery but it was sold out from under them. But as they already had their liquor manufacturing license, they started their own and named it the Standeaven Brewery which quickly became a favourite at local festivals and Farm Days. The brewery produces more than 12 types of beers and a variety of seasonal beers, including a Watermelon Lager.
But the lightbulb went on when they introduced Gin & Tonic on tap at the festivals, hoping to cater to the women, who Donneè described were “being dragged along to beer festivals.” In a way, the idea backfired, as the G&Ts became so popular, not just with the women, but the men, too. So much so, they were meeting with resistance from other brewers.
Undeterred, and with a big following, the family moved ahead with the RTD Gin and Tonics, going beyond kegs and bottling into 275ml 4-packs. Hitting a snag with the Gordon’s gin that was originally used in the mixes was the impetus the Standeavens needed to set up their own distillery and produce their own gin.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Calling on his beer brewing experience, where he created fruit beers which, much to the astonishment of locals, became extremely popular, Shaun began experimenting with different additions to his original classic dry gin. He describes the gin as “Almost a feminine style - not masculine with heavy handed juniper. There is more subtlety, with lots of citrus because I feel that it mixes better.”
The family’s philosophy from the brewery, “We’ll brew beer that we enjoy drinking and hope others will enjoy drinking it too,” is applied to the gins Shaun produces. For instance, while working on cruise ships as a bartender, he worked with a lot of different and exciting fruit along the way and learned that there are so many different things out there to be used. Shaun claims, “If you don’t try, you don’t know!” The star fruit is one that he tried and loves and is now one of the mainstays in the range.
I have to disclose that in the past, I have shied away from flavoured gins. Tasting The Gin Co gins has definitely changed my mind! And anything that says passion fruit or passionflower grabs my attention.
Passion flower gin with the label and image clearly visible
These gins, passionflower, star fruit and blueberry are what I call sipping gins. With just a couple of ice cubes and a splash of water (not tonic which I think overshadows the subtle flavours) I was transported especially with the passionflower and star fruit. The tropical notes were definitely front and centre and made it easy to imagine sipping the gin on a beach on a Caribbean island. But what really impressed me, is how smooth they are. There are very few gins (that I have tasted) that are as easy to drink as these.
The care taken when producing the gins is extended into the thought and care that has gone into the labels. The beautifully rendered images are visible through the clear liquid and the front of the bottle. The blueberry gin, a deep purple, hides the label which means I must hurry up and drink it!
With the liquor prohibition this country is currently experiencing, none of these products are available but when the ban is lifted, the gins will be at the Shongweni Farmers Market, but you will need to ask for them, as they are in very limited supply.
Currently the Classic G&T and Pomegranate G&T are available in RTD 4-packs with Dry Lemon and Blueberry being developed.
And watch this space! Shaun is working with a local sugar cane farmer to produce a rhum agricole and if it’s as good as his gins…
The Gin Co also does contract distilling, producing 48 Gin and Pornstar Shots.