Chief Happiness Officer bringing brands to life.
Hailing from Yorkshire and a very close-knit family, working at her parent’s Pub & Restaurant at early age and with an urge to always have to be in motion and get things done, Kirsty Loveday was showing her entrepreneurial side at 12 years age. Today she might have the coolest title ever: Chief Happiness Officer at Love Drinks that she founded in 2007.
Love Drinks is an independent import, distribution and marketing company for premium quality spirits, liqueurs and craft beers. Their portfolio represents quality, craft-distilled and family-owned brands that have a rich provenance, heritage and history. In May 2019, founder Kirsty Loveday received The Drinks Business award Woman of the Year.
Bringing brands to life with engagement and a big heart.
Nurturing incredible brands rich in heritage and with an interesting backstory, Love Drinks bring brands to life through sharing stories and engaging with the people behind them. With happiness, motivation and engagement. And a big heart. As a member of the Love Drink family you can really feel the love.
– My ambition when I created Love Drinks was to build the best and most innovative spirits portfolio in the UK that was recognized as being a trustworthy operation that truly valued its people.I am proud to say this ambition has come true, and our portfolio represents premium brands that are primarily marketed through our education of drinking better but less, Kirsty says.
Love Drinks + Living Well = Love Well.
As a leading force for driving change within the industry, Love Drinks is a part of the Love Well initiative aiming to encourage those working in the hospitality industry to live well.
– A happy, motivated, and healthy work force is essential for any business to prosper, especially in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment such as the hospitality industry. It’s easy to get a downward cycle of unhealthy late-night eating and drinking habits, Kirsty tells.
Love Drinks is passionate about providing support for these people on the front line of the hospitality industry and showing operators that it’s the right thing to do and that it’s good for business too.
We knew it was a perfect match.
Building and growing brands, developing teams and running a successful business is a passion for Kirsty who is focusing on passionate, artisan producers who are in their business for love, wanting to do things different and stand out.
– Most of all, it’s about the people behind the brands and when we met the Hernö Team, we knew that we were a perfect match, she says.
Love Drinks has been UK importer of the Hernö gins since January 2018, recommended by their Australian craft gin Four Pillars.
– Both brands are incredibly similar in that they are non-conformists, very comfortable in their own skin and some of the most talented producers we’ve ever seen, making just unbelievable craft spirits, Kirsty states.
Felt at home at Hernö Gin at the very first time.
Kirsty describes her first visit at the Hernö Gin distillery in Dala, in The High Coast of Sweden, as a surreal experience.
– Everything we did, everything that was said, everything eaten and drunk reinforced the special nature of the brand. Everyone was über cool, warm, happy and at one with nature, Kirsty remembers.
Maybe it’s her roots in the English countryside. Maybe it’s her love of nature and animals. Maybe it’s the fact that Kirsty has built a strong business with a Nordic feel to the way of working…
– I felt at home at Hernö, she says and adds: In fact, I think I need to come back.
Three things to do before going to Sweden.
• Buy warm clothing.
• Pack an alarm clock.
• Listen to some Abba, Roxette or Ace of Base to really get in the zone.
Three things not to do while in Sweden.
• Don’t go to bed early.
• Don’t fall aslaeep and miss seeing the Northern Lights. Everyone else says it’s incredible. Must have been the hike and all that fresh air…
• If you do fall asleep and miss the Northern Lights, I would recommend not being with anyone so you don’t get shamed everytime the trip gets brought up. Which is a lot!