So this is the first blog I have ever written. It’s not my usual style however I’m delighted to get the ball rolling because I’ve had so many asking how Cushiedoos came to be.
I’ve always had a burning desire to work for myself. I wanted to find an idea firstly I felt passionate about, and secondly that I had experience in. There’s a bit of the Cushiedoos story already on our website but to cut a long story short, I had whisked the commander in chief (my wife Gilly) up north for a romantic weekend. She’s a tough nut to crack, but she loved the idea, in fact everyone I spoke to after that also loved it. I’m not one for procrastination, so I rolled up my sleeves and cracked on.
Everyone told me that when you run your own business you hit hurdles all the time. I’d like to think I’m pretty determined and thick-skinned but soon I found myself on the biggest rollercoaster ride that threatened to derail me at every turn. The list of challenges to overcome has been endless. From trying to find the right locally sourced ingredients to creating the best taste that would satisfy consumers, our distilling friends and bars, pubs & restaurants. And then there was changing opinion that you have to have quinine in your tonic water (you don’t if you haven’t worked it out already!). All of this on top of a full time job and 2 young children!
You see, there is a lot riding on this. I have a family and I have decided to chuck in my career. Don’t get me wrong, things were going fine in my work aside from the normal challenges you face. To be honest I always knew I wanted to run my own show. Timing is vital though – not just for the idea and whether it’ll work – but also whether I was personally ready. I’ve had enough successes and failures to build resilience. I think experiencing failure is more important – that is what helps you keep going no matter what is being thrown at you. I have found out I like problem solving, and now as the founder, owner, finance guy, marketeer, liquid development manager and of course digital media manager (did I tell you I have an instagram and twitter account you can follow?!) there’s never a dull moment.
There were times it looked like it might not be possible. No quinine, Scottish botanical ingredients, certain bottle size, cap type, filling, pasteurising so Cushiedoos has no nasties (artificial ingredients), and of course, low levels of natural sugar. I wanted all of these things and I wasn’t taking no for an answer. I have a few things still to improve on and there will be more exciting developments to come. It is an incredible time alright – I can now share Cushiedoos with you all – my baby is born!
So my passion lies here, in bringing you better drinks. You’re a discerning drinker and you want to enjoy something better. You work hard and you deserve it – kick back and enjoy it.
Finally and most importantly, I wanted to say thank you. Firstly to the team of people who have helped me get my ship to water – you know who you are and you’re such a support. Thank you. Also thank you to you for reading this. It is more of a serious one for starters and probably because I am still in battle mode. Battling to get Cushiedoos out to you – to a bar, hotel, restaurant, pub or local store. If you are keen to stock Cushiedoos please do get in touch.
You can follow us on Instagram or sign up to our email newsletter. We don’t take ourselves too seriously here and we’re planning a lot of fun on this journey so don’t miss out.
Next up, I hope to introduce you to Kate O’Neil or as she affectionately likes to call herself “The Gin Whore!”
Keep your pecker up!
Lidge
