Brand strategy, distillery concept and commissioning support, Western Australia
The Republic of Fremantle was built on an ambitious idea: a grape-to-glass distillery that celebrates Western Australian provenance through spirits that speak the language of the state’s wine culture. The vision was always bigger than just a distillery too. A hospitality destination, a bar and kitchen – a local institution in the making.
THE BRIEF
My role was part strategist, part sounding board, part technical advisor. The founders needed someone who could help them think clearly across a range of interconnected decisions. Brand direction, still specification, production capability, positioning, and the kind of early-stage conceptual and recipe work that determines whether a distillery has a coherent identity.
Brand strategy and conceptualisation. The gin range was designed to speak to wine styles and the occasions associated with specific grape varietals — a genuinely distinctive positioning that connected the spirits to WA’s wine culture in a way that felt earned. I worked closely with the founders and the branding agency to help shape the brand direction, ensuring the concept held together commercially as well as creatively.
Still specification and capability. One of the most consequential decisions in any distillery build is the still. Here, the ambition was a setup that could move from wine to vodka at scale and to an EU high standard — a relatively rare capability. I advised on the specification to make sure the equipment matched the long-term vision, not just the immediate plan.
Distiller recruitment. Finding the right person to run a distillery of this scale and technical complexity required someone willing to relocate and commit to the project long-term. I helped identify and recruit the distiller who joined the team and became central to bringing their operation to life.
Early commissioning support. I was present during the early commissioning stages, helping the team navigate the transition from build to early production, ensuring the first recipe tests were delivered and that they were able to progress ahead based on the right foundations.
A NOTE ON HOW IT INFORMS MY WORK TODAY
This is a project I’m proud of. The stills are impressive, the setup is serious, the venue beautiful, and the original concept remains genuinely differentiated. How it’s landed with the Fremantle community shows much of that.
It’s taught me that a consultant’s job is to reduce unknowns, sharpen thinking, and give founders the best possible basis for their decisions. It’s also shown that what happens after is theirs to determine and that plans need to react to changing circumstances. In this case, Covid, and the realities of running a hospitality business that has different demands compared to brand building on a broader stage.
What I carry from it is a better understanding of how businesses live and change through hundreds of small decisions once a product enters the market. I have brought that to every project since.
The same applies to international success. It requires long-term thinking and brand concepts built to travel, which may look different to how they flex locally in the short term.
Equally, how liquid quality and brand ambition need to be measured against the best in the world in order to stand out. Most of all, what I carry into new projects is how there needs to be a shared, singular vision that everyone is pulling toward — because without that alignment and relentless pursuit once live, even the strongest foundations can only take you so far.
Republic of Fremantle is a beautiful brand idea and one of the best examples of a hospitality-led distilling business.
The potential was always for something more, and the foundations are there for that story to continue. That’s not a criticism in any way. It’s the reminder I bring to every conversation about what early decisions are really for.
The choices made when developing a new build and a brand, which are then acted on in year one – be it pragmatic or idealistic – are the ones that often make or break a business and define how the next decade will play out.
An ambitious concept, serious infrastructure, and a vision rooted in a place with a lot to say. This is exactly the kind of project that shows just how many elements need to come together to turn an idea for a new distillery and brand into reality.