Perched in the hinterland above Byron Bay, Cape Byron Distillery produces world-class spirits infused with a true sense of the region’s earthy character. Walk into any good drinks retailer in the Northern Rivers, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide and you’re sure to find the iconic award-winning Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin and Brookie’s Byron Slow Gin on the shelves.
“Our family has been passionately regenerating rainforest on our family farm for the past 30 years, and it is this rainforest that is at the heart of what we do as a business,” says co-founder and distiller Eddie Brook.
Eddie’s parents, Pam and Martin – the founders of the hugely successful food business Brookfarm – bought a run-down dairy farm in 1989 and have planted more than 35,000 trees on the property since then. Not only has the enterprise revitalised the landscape, it’s also made for a stunning local gin! Of the 25 botanicals in Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin, 17 are sourced locally – many from the Brookfarm rainforest.
While Eddie has taken Cape Byron Distillery to the world, its heart will always be in the Northern Rivers soil and with its people.
“The Northern Rivers has such a strong, supportive and collaborative community of businesses and producers,” says Eddie. “There is a passion for making great products that are in tune with this beautiful part of the world that we are lucky enough to call home.”