IT has been an exciting time for the award-winning Mates Distillery, with more passion projects in the pipeline.

The distillery is coming off a thrilling triumph at Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirit Awards, where it was awarded gold, silver and two bronze.

Mates Distillery founder Kim Richardson initially entered the awards to find out where her gins sat within the industry benchmark.

“We’ve manufactured four different gins to date. They are all very different and we love them. I just wanted a bit of feedback on how we were going and how they ranked in terms of profile,” she said.

“I’d never entered any awards before, and the Melbourne Royal are the best awards to enter that I’m aware of because they provide great feedback.

“For all four to come away with an award was just mind blowing.”

Kim’s personal favourite Sweet Surrender won the gold in the Best New World/Contemporary Gin category.

“It took us a long time to get the right blend. It has a honey finish in it, and I wanted to have a local honey,” she said.

“I think I tried every Bass Coast-made honey and got it down to just a few.”

Forty-seven different variations were blind tested before the final product was bottled.

“It was quite the process to get Sweet Surrender to what it is, and we are so rapt that the time and effort paid off,” Kim said.

The Signature Best Dry and Miners Pick received silver and bronze respectively, also in the contemporary category.

Zesty Mates received bronze in the citrus category.

“They tell you if you’ve won gold before the awards night because you need to take more bottles to be used for promotions,” Kim said.

“The other three awards were a complete surprise. I was just blown away. 

“The only feedback I’ve had from our customers is ‘why didn’t Miners get a gold?’”

Kim said the awards night was a lovely experience and an exciting time the industry.

The conception for Mates Distillery happened four years ago, with the following year and a half spent finding a place, getting equipment and setting up for production.

The Distillery Door on Wonthaggi’s Inverloch Road opened 18 months ago to a great reception.

Customers have enjoyed the intimate, quiet atmosphere and opportunity for memorable private functions.

It has been a huge journey for Kim, and commercially her attention is now turned to getting bottles of Mates Distillery gin in shops.

She is campaigning with IGA and has already developed a working relationship with a few bars in town – including The Archaic, the Wonthaggi Club, the Cape Tavern and Archies Creek Hotel – which now stock Mates Distillery gins.

 On a more personal level, Kim is focused on continuing her work for charities, for which Mates Distillery is a conduit. 

“What inspired me to start this journey had nothing to do with gin. The instigator was wanting to do more for charities,” Kim said.

“The Dream Big Foundation is a charity I established. What they do is they provide experiences for underprivileged children – things like providing music tuition for a foster child who is really passionate about music and was sitting at school watching other children learning instruments and wasn’t able to. 

“Being able to fund a year’s worth of music tuition for this child is what the foundation is about and what my passion is.”

Mates Distillery also donates to local fundraisers, surf life saving clubs and the CFA.

The distillery was established as a social enterprise to help fund these experiences.

“I do have a love of gin, so it seemed like my best way in,” Kim said.

“I read a book by an author named Marcel Thompson, who is an amazing distiller. After reading it, I had a few questions, so I found his email address. He replied and suggested we set up a Zoom, which was so exciting.”

Marcel asked Kim why she wanted to make gin, so she told him her back story and business plan.

It was a response he had never heard before, and he has been mentoring her for the past three years.

Kim said the distillery has two more gins in the works, but the next major project is a gin experience, which was an auction prize at a Melbourne fundraiser.

Alex Makes Meals – a charity established to provide meals for those in need – held a gala event in May and Mates Distillery donated the experience to the event.

“The winning couple is going to come down here and create their own gin flavour profile. They can be as hands on as they like,” Kim said.

“They’ll come down when we’re distilling it, help us do the distillation run, help us bottle it, design the label, and get to keep 10 bottles from the run.

“The remaining bottles will go to market and Alex Makes Meals will get $10 for every bottle sold. It’s such an exciting project.” 

Mates Distillery is also current finalist in the Bass Coast Business Awards.

“We have been happy to have had such great feedback from everyone who has had a gin here or come to a function,” Kim said.