Bottling excitement
The day is nearly upon us! Tomorrow morning (a bit too early for our liking) Henry and I set off on a long journey up to the NE. This is no Geordie tour, or even for a stag do (that comes later). We are off to see the first production run of Muddler Cocktails.
We have confirmation that everything is in place:
- Our bottles have their labels on (or sleeves as our flash all in one labels are known)
- Our juice is waiting in the chiller
- Our rum has made it from St Lucia
- Our Cartons (or boxes as they are known to the general masses) have been glued together
- Our slot is ready on the production line at around midday tomorrow.
So by the end of day Friday my little Clio will be loaded up with the first half a dozen cases. There is still a little bit of fingers crossed with all this.... I think sleep tonight will be broken by thoughts of thousands of bottles breaking on the floor, the juice not tasting right, the labels going cloudy in the pasteuriser etc. Anything going wrong at this stage could put us back several weeks as all our suppliers get booked up with the pre-summer season rush for juice, booze and sticking things on and in bottles.
Henry and I have decided to be on site, because it is exciting and also because we are determined to get this product perfect. We should be able to taste it as it goes along the production line (not too much!) and ensure that the product looks as we have spent months envisaging.
Having spent several hours in the close confines of Henry getting up to the NE we can then enjoy a run to South Wales. Yes I know we are going on a tour of pretty much the corners of Wales and England, but its not every weekend that we get invited to Chopper (aka Gav) Henry's stag do. Yes that's right, another fine fellow is being lost to the ways of marriage (and emigration for this one).
This means the first group to try Muddler Cocktails will be the exact opposites of who we have designed it for (25 - 35 year old civilised women) and instead will be a rampaging group on a stag do in a decrepit hall somewhere in South Wales. Anyway, many of them are good mates who have put up with use wittering away about Muddlers for several months (and some have reviewed key pieces of the material we have been producing for free). Rations will be being enforced for Muddlers at the stag do as we need the majority of what we can get in the Clio to take to London Pubs/ Bars that we have promised it to!
Not to fear... rations will not be enforced for long, the lorry load with almost all our remaining stock will be making its way down to London and dock with us on Tuesday. Then we will be asking you all to getting your hands on a case!
Only a short post today, as I must go and pack stuff that will fit in meeting one of our suppliers face to face for the first time, walking around a production line, a couple of nights out on a stag do, quad biking and canoeing. And it's women that moan about packing issues!
We'll let you know how it goes... keep looking back at the blog to see the updates (we'll see if we can get some photos of the production line).
We have confirmation that everything is in place:
- Our bottles have their labels on (or sleeves as our flash all in one labels are known)
- Our juice is waiting in the chiller
- Our rum has made it from St Lucia
- Our Cartons (or boxes as they are known to the general masses) have been glued together
- Our slot is ready on the production line at around midday tomorrow.
So by the end of day Friday my little Clio will be loaded up with the first half a dozen cases. There is still a little bit of fingers crossed with all this.... I think sleep tonight will be broken by thoughts of thousands of bottles breaking on the floor, the juice not tasting right, the labels going cloudy in the pasteuriser etc. Anything going wrong at this stage could put us back several weeks as all our suppliers get booked up with the pre-summer season rush for juice, booze and sticking things on and in bottles.
Henry and I have decided to be on site, because it is exciting and also because we are determined to get this product perfect. We should be able to taste it as it goes along the production line (not too much!) and ensure that the product looks as we have spent months envisaging.
Having spent several hours in the close confines of Henry getting up to the NE we can then enjoy a run to South Wales. Yes I know we are going on a tour of pretty much the corners of Wales and England, but its not every weekend that we get invited to Chopper (aka Gav) Henry's stag do. Yes that's right, another fine fellow is being lost to the ways of marriage (and emigration for this one).
This means the first group to try Muddler Cocktails will be the exact opposites of who we have designed it for (25 - 35 year old civilised women) and instead will be a rampaging group on a stag do in a decrepit hall somewhere in South Wales. Anyway, many of them are good mates who have put up with use wittering away about Muddlers for several months (and some have reviewed key pieces of the material we have been producing for free). Rations will be being enforced for Muddlers at the stag do as we need the majority of what we can get in the Clio to take to London Pubs/ Bars that we have promised it to!
Not to fear... rations will not be enforced for long, the lorry load with almost all our remaining stock will be making its way down to London and dock with us on Tuesday. Then we will be asking you all to getting your hands on a case!
Only a short post today, as I must go and pack stuff that will fit in meeting one of our suppliers face to face for the first time, walking around a production line, a couple of nights out on a stag do, quad biking and canoeing. And it's women that moan about packing issues!
We'll let you know how it goes... keep looking back at the blog to see the updates (we'll see if we can get some photos of the production line).
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