Meet the Women Shaping Somerset’s Drinks Scene This International Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on the talented women behind Somerset’s thriving drinks scene. Discover the passion, craftsmanship, and stories of these inspiring producers.
Eleanor Thatcher - Thatchers Cider
"I grew up on the Thatchers family farm and developed an early love for the connection between the apple trees and orchards, and cider itself. Right from a young age my family would teach me about the different types of apples, their flavours and qualities they can bring to cider. I was fascinated, and it’s a passion that has never left me.
When I left school, I spent time working on a vineyard in Australia, learning about fermentation and how the different processes can change the character and flavour of wine. Cider is crafted in a very similar way to wine, so I was able to bring that knowledge back to the family farm and work with our team of expert cider makers to innovate and try new things.
What I love about our business is that it is a centuries old industry that is also innovative. We are always learning, and the excitement of using science and nature to create a delicious drink excited me then and continues to excite me now."
Amy Kelly - Chew Valley Distillery
"My name is Amy, and together with my husband Joe, we own Chew Valley Distillery. In September 2023, I made the leap from my career as a midwife to join the distillery full-time, helping to support our growing business. My main role is marketing our handcrafted spirits, building relationships with other businesses, and increasing brand exposure. I also work behind the scenes, supporting Joe in the daily running of the distillery.Running a business in the spirits industry comes with its challenges, but what keeps us going is the incredible support from our customers and stockists. We are so grateful to the independent businesses that choose to stock our products and help share our passion for quality spirits. Along the way, we’ve met so many like-minded business owners, and we feel truly fortunate to have the backing of our amazing local community."
Sand Luck - Aldwick Estate Vineyard
I grew up on our family farm here in the North Somerset countryside. In 2007 I returned to the area and worked part time alongside my brother, Chris, in the hospitality side of the business. Chris fell in love with wine and the concept of developing a venue and vineyard after visiting South Africa several times. In 2008 he planted the first vineyard and I took over the running of the business in 2011 seeing the completion of our new venue space a few years later. My interest and knowledge of English viticulture grew from this point on. I could see the uniqueness of having a venue and vineyard. In those earlier years English wine was having to prove itself to the UK and the world as serious wine producers. With much better knowledge of wine making techniques, grape varieties and a fast growing industry it wasn’t long before we, along with many others were winning international wine awards. The learning curve has been steep but very rewarding. The best part of the job for me is when visitors to the Estate arrive with little or no expectations of the wine they are about to drink but end up leaving with bottles tucked under their arms. The business is still a family affair with my sister as head chef and my brother-in-law as wine manager and vineyard tour guide. I am hoping that one of my children will show interest and then perhaps there will be a 6th generation here at Aldwick Estate.
Hannah Ford - Sutton Ridge Vineyard
My name is Hannah Ford and along with my Husband Luke own and run Sutton Ridge Vineyard. We planted the vineyard on the family farm in 2011 on a sheltered south east facing slope overlooking Blagdon Lake in the heart of the Yeo Valley. We produce around 4000-5000 bottles of year which consists of still white and rose wines along with our sparkling wine. The idea for planting a vineyard grew from our shared love of wine and the outdoors.
As we are a family run vineyard I do all aspects of managing and running the vineyard. This includes work in the vineyard such as; pruning in winter, managing the canopy during the summer, and of course picking the grapes at harvest time. Our busiest time amongst the vines is June and July where the vines grow as quick as we can tend them as we do all the canopy management work by hand. What is also overlooked is the amount of time spent outside the vineyard, selling our wines at markets, managing stock and fulfilling orders. I particularly enjoy running the tours as its great to share our wines with new people in our beautiful stone barn overlooking the vines.