Small Enterprise spoke to Pete Allison, co-founder of Woven Whisky, one of many three profitable corporations of the Small Enterprise x Sage pop-up store competitors.
They have been chosen by our knowledgeable panel to occupy a pop-up store house in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter throughout the festive interval final 12 months.
The group of pals run the enterprise out of their mixing home in Leith, Edinburgh. They purpose for whisky that’s experimental and experiential, specialising in additional inventive blends. To realize these optimum blends, Woven mix whiskies from world wide utilizing forgotten traditions and methods, and put them in casks to develop the flavours additional.
Inform us extra about you and your online business
My title is Pete Allison, I’m one of many founders of Woven Whisky. We’re mixing whiskies based mostly in Leith, proper right here in Edinburgh. We’ve been going for nearly three years, buying and selling for about two and a half. What we do is that we make blended whiskies in a extremely up to date and distinctive trend, that hopefully speaks to a youthful and extra various viewers of whisky drinkers.
Why did you enter the competitors?
We really entered as a result of we got here throughout it by a pal of a pal who despatched it to us. They have been actually excited and stated, ‘This can be excellent for you’. We have been simply actually excited to have the ability to be in one in all Edinburgh’s most busy purchasing centres. And to have the ability to do one thing throughout the Christmas interval, I feel that was the primary motivation.
But additionally, getting slightly bit nearer to different companies. As a result of it’s a singular expertise operating a small enterprise. However with the ability to join with different folks which might be doing it as effectively is de facto nice. So there was that component. After which additionally getting that little little bit of help. Having the ability to communicate to the fellows at Sage and Small Enterprise was fairly vital to us as effectively, so it was multi-layered. However in the end, it was to have the ability to to be right here and see how we cope in a retail setting.
What are the primary takeaways you’re hoping for from this occasion?
The primary factor that we’re hoping to remove from that is some publicity in our house market, the place we’re accessible in plenty of bars and specialist retail outlets. I like whisky outlets, however with the ability to be a part of a hustling and bustling thoroughfare like right here is de facto thrilling for us. There’s that stage of publicity to a wider demographic than we’re used to. It’s additionally developing for Christmas, so we’re hoping for some gross sales. That’s fairly vital for us, so we’re capable of get some quantity and a few cash coming in. However I feel from a wider perspective, I feel what we’re actually seeking to do is to is to construct connections with like-minded companies and have interaction in dialog with folks, which might be going by the identical journey as us. In order that’s what we’re fairly enthusiastic about.
What does it imply to your online business?
Properly, to start with, it was actually thrilling. It was slightly bit daunting for a second although. We thought, ‘What have we bought ourselves into?’ I feel it was simply normal pleasure of with the ability to to have an precise bodily retail house in Edinburgh and in St James Quarter was one thing that that, as a small enterprise, we simply can’t afford to even look in to. That was simply astonishing for us. We’re actually grateful to the organisers. It’s been an actual privilege.
Extra on the Sage pop-up store competitors
Sage pop-up store winner #1 – Kirsty Fergusson, GET IT GRL – Kirsty Fergusson, founding father of personalised present and girls’s put on model, GET IT GRL, talks to Small Enterprise about her pop-up store win
Sage pop-up store winner #2 – Ruby Friel, Nonetheless Life – Ruby Friel, founding father of presents and homewares model, Nonetheless Life, talks to Small Enterprise about her pop-up store win
