A Bradford couple has spoken of how their lives have changed since quitting their 9-5s to craft their own gin.
Sarah and Chris Dinnewell decided to take a leap into the unknown at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The couple used their time on furlough to learn about gin distillation and spirits tasting.
Months later, Dinnewell's Gin Company was founded at their family home in Birkenshaw.
They have since won several prestigious awards, placing their small batch gin alongside the world’s best spirits.
Now the Dinnewells are celebrating the start of an exciting new chapter at their premises in Cleckheaton.
Sarah told the Telegraph & Argus: “Me and my husband have been working in hospitality, pubs, bars and restaurants for many years. That’s how we both met. It’s the industry we’ve always been in.
“When we got to 2021, the children were starting to go back to school with childcare so we had time available.
“We’ve always wanted to have our own pub or do something in the industry. We’d tried gins over lockdown. We did a spirits course learning about testing spirits, distilling spirits, and looked into bringing out our own gin.
Chris said: “When the lockdown came it was a ‘seize the moment’ opportunity. We’re never going to get the chance to have all the time we have to focus on setting up the business while still earning money.
“We looked into running our own pub or bar, we very nearly did. But we realised we’d never get to spend time with each other as a family. That’s when we shifted into, what else can we do?
“We saw making our own product as an opportunity we can do something we’re passionate about but having balance in our life.”
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The couple have a busy family life looking after four-year-old Rose and 11-year-old Jack, who has autism and learning difficulties.
Sarah added: “There’s always things that are difficult but it works.
“Having our own business gives us flexibility.”
The business has a regular and limited edition range of gins, including the 'Orange and Ginger Old Tom', 'Yorkshire Rosé’ and ‘London Dry’.
The couple has gone from working with independent distillery The Three Wrens, Cheshire, to distilling their own gin at home.
Their ultimate dream is to transform a disused pub into a distillery with gin tasting events.
The 34-year-olds hope their entrepreneurial journey will inspire other people to “go for it”.
In a message to others, Chris added: “Just go for it. Even if it does seem challenging, the only way to get there is to put everything into it.”
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