On the wall of Jim Jardine’s distillery, visitors will find a sign that reads: “Trust me, you can dance.” The message is signed: “Gin”. Such a sentiment is a far cry from the Canadian’s former life as a software development professional, though.
In 2010, Jardine decided it was time to slow the pace of his hectic life. But, of all the options lying before him, owning a gin distillery wasn’t one of them. However, after travelling 4000 miles to plant roots in Grenada, he was astounded to find the spice-rich island was teeming with botanicals too. Coconut, guava, ginger, mango, oranges, papaya, passionfruit, plantains, starfruit and tamarind were everywhere. Deciding to utilise this unexpected bounty, he cultivated a network of fruit farmers and set up a juice factory – Summer Juice – and began servicing the island’s bars, restaurants and hotels with an array of homegrown juices.