BUILDING BOTSWANA'S FIRST DISTILLERY WITH INTENTION

From the outset, Okavango Gin was created with a much larger intention; to contribute meaningfully to Botswana’s economy while supporting the people, landscapes and conservation efforts surrounding the Okavango Delta. Becoming the country’s first distillery offered an opportunity to pioneer a new industry, but it also came with a responsibility to build something genuinely connected to its origins.

“At our core, Okavango Gin has always been about conservation and the preservation of the Okavango Delta,” explains owner and co-founder Marleen. “For us, stepping into that space  was about asking how we could contribute meaningfully to Botswana’s economy while also supporting the place, people and industries that mean so much to us.”

Botswana’s economy has historically been shaped by a relatively small number of major industries, most notably diamond mining. Tourism has emerged alongside mining as another vital economic pillar, drawing visitors from around the world to experience the country’s extraordinary landscapes and wildlife. Yet Okavango Gin’s founders believed that the value created through tourism and conservation could extend beyond the traditional model of bringing visitors into the country. With innovation, hard work and perseverance, these sectors could also support new products, industries and forms of employment.

Creating Botswana’s first distillery allowed us to fill a space that had not existed before. It gave the team the chance to create a premium, considered product that was made in Botswana and could be proudly shared with local and international audiences. It also offered the country’s tourism partners something distinctly Botswanan to serve and celebrate — a spirit whose identity and story were inseparable from the place in which it was made.

This sense of place shaped every decision, beginning with the location of the distillery itself. The production facility was intentionally built off-grid in the rural village of Tsutsubega, on the edge of the Okavango conservation area. It was not the easiest or most economically convenient place from which to operate. Infrastructure is limited, logistics are demanding and the practical realities of production are considerably more complex than they would be in a major urban centre. Nevertheless, producing Okavango Gin far from its namesake would have undermined the purpose of our business.

The Okavango Delta is home to the people behind our brand, and it was essential that the gin remained genuinely rooted within it. The decision to establish the distillery in Tsutsubega also reflected a belief that industry does not need to be confined to cities, and that rural communities are home to people who often have access to relatively few formal employment opportunities. Building in an outlying area offered a way to demonstrate that considered, sustainable industry can create work, develop skills and add economic value while maintaining a light footprint.

This distinctly Botswanan and African perspective extends into the details of the product. We received considerable pushback over its choice of bottle, largely because the gin industry tends to favour European-made glass. Importing bottles from Europe would have aligned Okavango Gin with familiar conventions, but it would also have required the glass to travel across oceans before reaching Botswana. Instead, the team selected bottles manufactured on African soil, reducing the distance they needed to travel and ensuring that the packaging more closely reflected the brand’s commitment to being proudly African.

Similar decisions have been made throughout the development of the business. There have been opportunities to produce and bottle the gin in locations that would have been more economically advantageous or operationally straightforward. However, the heart of Okavango Gin lies in its support of Botswana and the Delta. Choosing to remain in Tsutsubega, even when doing so is more difficult, ensures that the economic and social value generated by the business remains connected to the place at the centre of its story.

Building the distillery also required patience. As no distillery had previously been established in Botswana, there was no existing regulatory pathway for registering, approving or signing off on one. Local authorities were navigating unfamiliar territory alongside the founders, which meant the team was both only establishing a business and also helping to shape an understanding of what a distilling industry could look like within the country.

The process took approximately two years. When the manufacturing licence was finally granted, it arrived just three days before the first COVID-related alcohol bans were introduced. After years spent working towards approval, we found ourselves with a licensed distillery but unable to produce or launch according to plan. The restrictions created another 18 months of uncertainty at a time when the business should have been entering the marketWhile deeply challenging, the delay also created an unexpected period of possibility. It gave the team time to refine the brand’s ethos, clarify the stories it wanted to tell and continue perfecting the liquid itself. By the time the gin officially launched, every aspect had been considered with care.

“Winning double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition was a very special moment for us,” says Marleen. “It validated the years of hard work, the difficult decisions and the belief that we could create something truly special from Botswana, rooted in the Okavango and worthy of standing on an international stage.”

Okavango Gin represents  an example of what can emerge when conservation, tourism and entrepreneurship are brought together with a clear sense of purpose. By choosing the more intentional path, we have created a product that carries the Okavango into the world while continuing to create value within the country it calls home – and we couldn’t be prouder.