Saturday Kitchen cocktail expert Carmen O’Neal on how she started a successful gin brand

Carmen O’Neal has quietly built a cocktail empire out of a railway arch in East London, but it wasn’t what she dreamed of. At first she wanted to be a shoemaker.

After a road accident left her temporarily unable to use one of her hands, Canadian-born O’Neal had to rethink her entire career.

A chance meeting with her former business partner led to the launch of her gin brand 58 and Co in 2016, just as interest in the spirit started to grow.

Gin has become a high-traffic market as liquor manufacturers try to capitalize on consumer interest in the spirit.

In 2020, there were only 480 gin distilleries in the country, now the number stands at around 820.

While other brands have launched niche flavored gins to capitalize on growing demand, O’Neal says she was never interested in developing something that was “overly flavored and kitschy and had a story of being hand-picked on any mountain’.

There are currently only three 58 en Co gins on offer: London Dry, Apple and Hibiscus and Navy Strength.

It’s a bold move for a company in a crowded market, but O’Neal, despite her modesty, is an accomplished and confident entrepreneur.

She is already building her own personal brand and becoming a regular on Saturday Kitchen as a cocktail expert.

We meet at 58 and Co’s distillery in Haggerston, East London, nestled amongst other budding startups eager to run their businesses from the iconic railway arches.

The home of 58 and Co is a bright and welcoming space, a far cry from what you’d expect from an alcohol startup.

O’Neal was given the keys to the arch when her son was four weeks old and spent most of his time building it while tied to her. Ten months later it was up and running.

‘Bogs are not necessarily designed with plumbing and electrical in mind, you have to implement all of that. But the feeling is something I couldn’t replicate in any other location,” she says.

While O’Neal has plans to expand further, she wants to keep the distillery as “home.”

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‘Gin was not my first love’

O’Neal has obvious entrepreneurial talent, but it was her mother’s death that really pushed her to start her own business.

‘I started my own shoe line and then my mother got sick. A few weeks before she passed away, she told me, “You’re not going to run this shoe line from Canada,” she says.

“A week after she passed away, I sold my house, my car, all my belongings, got on a plane and came to London.

‘I went to the University of the Arts London, I designed my collection and put it into production. The following week I was run over by a truck. The side of my body and my hand were shattered.

‘Fortunately I survived. But the investors in my shoe business said you can’t use your hand, we’re done, we’re out.’

While a gin distillery wasn’t initially what O’Neal intended, the presence of her mother, whose drink of choice was gin, is very much felt at the distillery, from the essential oils wafting through the air to the grand distillery named after her.

A trained aromatherapist, O’Neal’s mother made her own oils. ‘I’ve seen how lavender and rose oil are made. I saw distilling and the science behind it and I thought it was really interesting,” she says.

“Gin wasn’t necessarily my love. I like to create something that people enjoy and that brings people together.

“I love creating experiences that people can share with their friends and family.”

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‘People spend more money on experiences’

Consumers’ desire to spend money on unique experiences is why it took O’Neal so long to get the railroad arch to its exact taste. It is home to 58 and Co’s gin school, which has become a major revenue stream.

The concept is simple: customers spend three hours tasting, making and bottling their own gin.

So far it’s been a resounding success, says O’Neal, recalling a customer who’s been back five times, albeit on five different dates.

Since the pandemic, more and more small businesses have had to turn to in-person experiences to try to engage consumers in their fight against online fatigue.

How the gin school will hold up in the face of the cost of living crisis remains to be seen.

At £125 per person, it’s a premium offer and consumers are unlikely to part with their money so easily now.

However, O’Neal doesn’t seem to think her target audience will be put off.

“We’re offering such an incredible afternoon that if you look at it from a value side and leave some people behind, I think you get a lot more value than what you charge. It’s a luxurious experience,” she says.

“I think people will think twice about how they make purchases, but people want something that evokes a memory and I think people buy experiences to have with loved ones. That’s something that will last a lifetime compared to a sweater.’

She admits that people may see gin school as a major revenue stream, but as with her whole approach to the business, she takes a more holistic view.

‘I see it as if I am creating brand ambassadors. The idea of ​​creating something that people laugh about and enjoy – my mom always had an incredible table, always feeding people, she was the ultimate host. Gin school is that for me. Introducing people, connecting people, creating a memory.’

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Why B Corp isn’t the most important thing

While 58 and Co may have established itself both as a gin brand – it’s available online and at independent retailers – and through its gin school, it hasn’t been without its growing pains.

The name itself comes from the 58 recipes it took to get the gin just right. Formerly called 58 Gin, O’Neal opted for a name change as part of a wider rebrand.

During the pandemic, O’Neal and her team began producing white-label alcohol to sell to bars and restaurants. The ‘house’ product is sold in three liter refillable bags alongside the premium range of three gins and one vodka.

This year, 58 and Co are launching a collab series, initially with a Sake brewery and winery, that will take waste from other distilleries and turn it into a new product. So the name 58 Gin had run its course.

With the change also came news that 58 and Co had become a certified B Corp. O’Neal initially chose not to announce it for seven months, reflecting her own modesty, but also her approach to sustainability for the brand.

‘I love my composting. But seeing, feeling, touching will be better than anything I put on the internet and say this is what we do.

“Sustainability wasn’t me doing it for other people, it was us doing it for the right reasons for our company.”

The commitment to sustainability is not immediately apparent when you walk into the distillery, as everything has been carefully curated to make you feel as luxurious and comfortable as possible.

But if you look closer, you’ll see that the entrance is made from discarded plastic, the coasters are made from recycled plastic from the distillery, and everything is recycled.

O’Neal even has worms in her back, which she affectionately calls the Brady Bunch, to help with the composting.

“When we did the rebrand, we used the term ethical instead of sustainable.

“I think sustainable has somehow become a buzzword over the past year that some companies are using as a way to get investment. Same thing with B Corp… people applied for it later for credibility.”

O’Neal’s dedication and energy is relentless, and she’s a natural entrepreneur who’s comfortably transitioned from makeup artist, to cobbler, and now to gin distiller.

It does raise the question of how long her attention will be held at 58 and Co.

She admits that 58 and Co has not yet experienced a “normal” trading environment. The business opened in July 2019 and was open for six months before the pandemic hit.

58 and Co only fully opened in June 2021 and have since faced Covid restrictions over Christmas 2021, travel restrictions, the cost of living crisis and supplier issues.

It is clear that the company, and the jenever school in particular, is her heart. While O’Neal may not be shouting about her successes, it’s clear that 58 and Co have found a winning formula.