Northern Irish Jawbox Gin wins first business in Canada

Northern Ireland's award winning Jawbox Gin has gained a foothold in the vast Canadian marketplace.

Based in Belfast, Jawbox is targeting growth in international markets and has been engaged in discussions with potential distributors in key markets including Canada.

Gerry White, Jawbox's founder and managing director, who recently visited Canada, has now signed a deal with a distributor in the country's Alberta province with Kensington Wine Market in Calgary, Calgary Co-op, the latter being one of North America's largest co-operatives with more than 440,000 members, as well as other outlets there.

Commenting on the deal in Canada, Mr White says: "This is great news for us in a market we've been seeking to develop for some time. The agreement to supply the outlets in Alberta was signed in Belfast with Cellar Door Imports.

"What the latest deal does is to give us an initial presence in Alberta which we work to extend over the next few months. I am currently following up other encouraging contacts made there in recent months."

Jawbox, described as a classic dry gin, is now widely available in the UK and Ireland. It has secured business with major retailers including Marks and Spencer throughout Great Britain as well as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda in Northern Ireland.

Launched in 2016, by Mr White, an experienced publican, Jawbox has gained a string of awards including 'Best Startup' in the recent Belfast Business Awards.

Jawbox, a single estate gin, is blended using a range of botanicals including heather harvested from the hills around Belfast.