As some of you may already know, here at Puss & Mew we recently celebrated our very first birthday, marking one year since we joined the Australian Gin distilling industry. It was an absolute blast to celebrate with our team, family, friends and our incredible customers who have been with us since day one.
As we wind up the celebrations, we’ve been reflecting upon our experiences and successes from having spent twelve months as a small Australian Gin distillery. Since opening our doors in November 2021, we’ve achieved far beyond what we thought possible when we started distilling our first few batches of Gin. From expanding our range and introducing new flavours, receiving outstanding reviews and even winning multiple awards, including gold, at the International Gin tasting awards in the USA and the UK – it’s been quite the ride. Of course, none of these achievements would have been at all possible without the continued love, support and feedback from our P&M family – we are forever thankful.
When we were first starting out, we hoped to fill a gap in Nunawading and the Whitehorse Community. We wanted to bring something new, unique and refined – an extra special place for our guests to dine, drink and relax in classy comfort. Having reviewed all of the feedback from our community over the past year, we feel we’ve achieved just that.
However, it’s not just us who feel this way. In fact, we are very proud to announce that our efforts in the Australian Gin industry have been recognised by the Whitehorse Business Group, who have congratulated us with an Excellence in Business Award in the Micro Business category. It is an absolute honor for us to receive this acknowledgement, and we couldn’t have done it without our incredible family, including our son Bryce and partner Joey who were able to accept the award on our behalf.
The award recognises the time, effort and perseverance that we’ve put into running our small business, as well our contribution to the community from an ethically and environmentally responsible standpoint. Though we remain overjoyed with our successes from a business perspective, maintaining impeccable corporate citizenship has always remained a top priority.
As part of our efforts to give back to our local community, we provide sponsorship to the incredible Whitehorse Pioneers Football club, as well as giving away numerous donations of our Australian-made Gin in school raffles for many keen and deserving parents. Additionally, we are proud to be an involved supporter of Lymphoma Australia, taking part in Lymphoma Awareness Month by donating part of the proceeds from every bottle of our Gin sold in September 2022, as well as from our exclusive “Lime for Lymphoma” cocktail.
Moving on to our current sustainability initiatives, we perform an array of eco-friendly activities that help to keep our footprint on the environment to a minimum. We’re extremely keen on recycling, and are constantly seeking out innovative ways to reuse as much as possible. Our current tactics include the reuse of our cooling water during the Gin distilling process and the recycling of our empty glass Gin bottles used at the P&M bar. We’re also excited to announce an extension of this program in the new year, whereby customers will be encouraged to return their empty Puss & Mew Gin bottles in exchange for credits that can be put toward another purchase. Aside from in-house recycling, we’ve also partnered with local businesses such as The Truffet Emporium and LoveShak who make use of our botanical waste to create an incredible array of cheeses and bath products – how cool is that!?
We couldn’t be more grateful for what has been such a stellar first year as a small Australian Gin business. So many of our triumphs are attributed to our fantastic customer base who have allowed us the opportunity to grow beyond what we ever imagined. We are so excited to continue growing as we enter our second year, and are excited to have you come along every sip of the way.
Don’t forget to pop in to say ‘hi’ and enjoy some of our delicious house-made Gin cocktails and bites at our Nunawading venue, reserve your table here. Can’t get in soon enough? Head to our online shop to purchase from our entire collection of bespoke Gins.
