‘Britain is a nation of small businesses. The government must give them the means to thrive’

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When living in such a remote area like the Isle of Jura, with only a population of 250 people, opportunities, especially for women, can often be limited.

This is why two of my closest friends and I started ‘Lussa Gin’, founded on our shared love of gin, growing plants, and the Isle of Jura itself. When we started in 2015, we were making gin out of my kitchen in a tiny ten litre still bought from Amazon – although this still managed to make 4,000 bottles in our first year!

From there we have now grown to become a global exporter, making our gin in a converted horse stable and sending it across the world to Germany, America and the rest of the UK. 

Being unable to rely on broadband put a cap on growth

Being a small business on such a remote island comes with many challenges. We have to do a lot of the maintenance work ourselves as we can’t always rely on tradespeople getting to us, and similarly, shipping our products and deliveries from our suppliers can be tricky.

Our remoteness also meant that at the start we didn’t have a secure and reliable internet connection; we were reliant on dial-up, before moving on to 4G. This meant we were unable to be on the phone and a computer at the same time and sometimes had no access to the world outside of Jura.

When you’re already faced with so many challenges to scale your business, being unable to rely on our broadband was incredibly frustrating and, naturally, it put a cap on expansion plans. 

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Since the installation of ultrafast full fibre from Openreach, we have seen a transformation in our ability to sell and been able to grow our business. We are now able to receive bookings for our in-person tours, sell our products via the website, take card payments at our distillery and have an office space where we can all come together to collaborate.

Broadband has been transformative for Lussa Gin’s story. We never dreamed we would one day be able to make around 10,000 bottles of gin a year and export it all over the world!

And, like many small businesses, the Covid-19 pandemic was a really difficult time. Our entire island was shut down, as well as all our retailers. This meant our website was our lifeline in keeping the business going. 

Access to full-fibre broadband is essential

Companies across the country will have similar experiences. Britain is a nation of small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs, and we are the backbone of the economy. It is vital that the government ensures that we all have the means to thrive, and access to full-fibre broadband is essential. 

As we become ever more reliant on technology, it is so important that businesses are not left behind and are able to continue supporting the growth of the UK’s economy. 

READ MORE: Labour Growth Group: What is it and who are the 54 MPs who have joined?

The benefits are not just felt by us. Lussa Gin has become a major employer of the Isle of Jura; we are now able to give back opportunities to women on the island, as well as provide an alternative chance of employment to young people.

It is so important that we are able to provide and sustain this to attract more people into remote islands like Jura, and beyond. I believe and want every small business, wherever they started up, to have the same opportunity to thrive and grow as we had here at Lussa Gin. 

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