Isle of Man-based ‘The Fynoderee distillery’ has changed its production from premium spirits with locally foraged botanicals to high-performance, high-strength hand sanitiser to help maintain the supply the Isle of Man will need during the COVID-19 crisis.
Fynoderee has worked closely with the Isle of Man Government to help combat global supply shortages and now has the capacity to produce 750 litres a week.
The distillery will donate their first 500 litres to hospitals, schools, food producers and other key services, and will start distributing to local retailers on 3 April.
The project has not been a sole undertaking, with businesses and individuals across the Isle of Man collaborating to provide technical advice and the variety of raw materials needed to produce the hand sanitiser. Fynoderee reached out for help across their social channels and received a positive response from the community on the island. Contributions include invaluable advice from scientists based on the island, including Neil O’Hare, Head of Chemistry at Ramsey Grammar School; glycerine from Snaefell Soaps; containers from the Isle of Man Creamery and Ellerslie Farm; printed labels from Words & Spaces; among others.
Paul Kerruish, CEO & Co-Founder, (Pictured above) The Fynoderee Distillery, said:“Being an island, we heavily depend on the supply chain. We saw what was happening in the UK and everywhere else and knew that if we wanted to be able to help, we had to be creative and move fast”.
“The support we’ve received from individuals and businesses across the island has been amazing. The nature of the crisis brought people together and, as soon as we posted our plans on social media, we started to receive kind messages: scientists walked us through the process, the hairdressers from across the island offered hydrogen peroxide, a distribution company got in touch regarding the logistics, and the list goes on”.
“Those who know us know that our products always come with a special flare. On this occasion, we left that behind. We knew that we wanted a World Health Organisation approved hand sanitiser and that is what we have created”.
“The Isle of Man now has a resilient on-Island supply, and we are ready to make 250 litres a day if needed. Now, on top of the production, we are helping other distilleries to speed up their hand sanitiser production processes to support their own communities”.
