Louth gin distillery's partnership with Horncastle nursery could be eco-friendly tonic

Louth Distillery, which produces hand-crafted gin, has joined forces with Crowders Nursery, of Horncastle, to explore an innovative way of giving new life to one of its by-products, sloe berries.

A spokesperson for the Bolingbroke Road distillery explained: “For the past two years, we have steeped sloe berries to create our sell-out sloe gin, infusing the berries’ rich, fruity flavour into the spirit.

"Once the steeping process is complete, we’re left with a significant amount of berry by-product. But instead of discarding it, Crowders has approached us after seeing an opportunity to turn it into something productive.

"Therefore, we’ve donated our leftover sloe by-product to Crowders, who will be conducting tests to see if the seeds from the berries can be planted and grown into sloe trees.”

The distillery says the collaboration “aligns perfectly with our commitment to sustainability”, and both businesses are looking forward to the outcome of the trials.

The spokesperson continued: "Sustainability is at the heart of what we do, and we are constantly thinking about minimising waste and making our processes more eco-friendly. So this is an exciting, new partnership.

"By finding a new use for the sloe seeds, we’re not only reducing waste but also contributing to a project that could benefit the environment.

"If the tests are successful, the seeds could eventually be used to grow new sloe trees right here in Lincolnshire, further supporting biodiversity in the region.

"Crowders is leading the way in this seed trial, and we’re excited to see the results by next spring.

"This could even be the start of a larger initiative where other botanicals, used in distilling or food production processes, could be repurposed in similar ways.”

Crowders, which has a site in Woodhall Spa as well as Horncastle, is a family-run business and a nationally renowned wholesale nursery that has been growing plants, shrubs and trees for more than 200 years.

Now it is hoping that the sloe seeds take root and that the link-up with Louth Distillery could be a significant step forward in the way industries work together to find sustainable solutions.