Pirate’s Grog Rum
Launched in Essex and now successfully trading from their base in London, Pirate’s Grog Rum is the product of hard work by young entrepreneurs Beth Jones and Gaz Noble. The rum is manufactured and distributed from Roatan, a small island 40 miles off of the coast of Honduras and is marketed within the gift industry, affiliated on Not On The High Street, Yumbles and Amazon.
The Pirate's Grog product range includes the original Five Year recipe, 'Pirate's Grog No.13' an exquisite single cask 13 year aged rum and the latest product to join the line-up is a coffee infusion titled ‘Pirate’s Grog Black Ei8ht’.The original recipe is aged for five years in white American oak barrels resulting, in an exceptionally smooth golden rum with notes of raisin, butterscotch and vanilla. Whilst, the No.13 is an exquisite single cask golden rum from Central America. It’s rich and full bodied with notes of apricot, peach, white chocolate and vanilla. This limited edition rum is housed in an award-winning bottle, and has captured the attention of rum enthusiasts around the globe.
Support from Essex County Council
Beth and Gaz came to Essex County Council for help and guidance for the business whilst it was in the development phase via a partnership with The Princes’ Trust, seeking support to succeed in such a competitive industry. Through business planning, Beth identified the need for a mentor, particularly to gain guidance around profitability, especially with the high excise taxes associated with the industry.
In addition to receiving a mentor, Pirate’s Grog Rum also received a grant of £1,000 which enabled the company to produce their rum quicker, and in return allowed them to grow faster and profit more.
“Almost 18 months on from gaining a mentor, we are so fortunate for all the advice and support he has provided. Without that support I’m sure we would have made more mistakes and he’s really helped to plan out our finances to allow the business to grow.” – Beth Jones
Growing Success
When first establishing the new business, it was hard to raise cash as they are product business, but because of the partnership help between Essex County Council and The Princes’ Trust, this wasn’t a struggle. The first production saw 4,000 bottles of one product made, and this has now evolved and grown to more than 10 products, with a total of 30,000 bottle sales so far, which is expected to double next year.
Building on historical advice and support, Pirate’s Grog Rum is now also sold overseas, with a distribution network across Europe and Australia. 
Support for New Businesses
Essex County Council are seeking new innovative young entrepreneurs who would like support in launching their business.
If you are aged between 16-30 years old from Essex (excluding Southend and Thurrock) with an innovative idea for your new business then you could get involved. We need you to show commitment, passion and a drive to succeed for a chance to be awarded a place on our programme. You can benefit from our mentoring, business advice and finance scheme which could offer you various options such as grants, loans and investor capital from £500-£5,000. These funds could help you to launch your new innovative venture.
The Essex Young Entrepreneurs Network (EYEN) provides young entrepreneurs, with an opportunity to launch their own innovative business. EYEN offers an alternative to the direct employment route by inspiring young individuals to use their talents for enterprise.
If you would like to apply, please visit www.essex1630.co.uk.
Or you can email us at .
