Dare to dream big

From a concept, to a $10 million business employing 20 staff in 2 years — Reefton Distilling Co. Founder and Chief Executive Patsy Bass gets things done. We spoke to Patsy about her path and what has inspired her.

Who has encouraged you the most professionally?

The leaders who I have respected and learned the most from are Sir Angus Tait and Warren Rickard (Tait Communications) and Sir David Levene (Patron, Outward Bound). They treated everyone like they are the most important person on the planet. I ran the Tait induction programme every fortnight and Angus and Warren came to each one to meet their new staff and share the company history. Angus knew everyone in the business by name and would recount tales of their time with him at their farewells. Sir David Levene has been a huge support for me and was instrumental in helping me to establish Reefton Distilling Co.

How important is it for young people to find a mentor or someone who leads by example in helping you find and make a difference in your chosen field?

I didn’t have a mentor in my early career, so simply sought out people I wanted to be like and approached them to find out how they achieved their success.

What are some of the attributes that have helped you professionally?

Tenacity, positivity, hard work and a clear vision.

What challenges have you faced in business that have been overcome and what did you learn from them that help you now?

Negativity of others. It’s surprising how people tend to focus on all the things that might go wrong. It just made me more determined to succeed.

Do you feel that any barriers have come down in the last 5 years regarding women in business?

I don’t focus on gender and have never felt like I’ve not been able to secure a role I’ve wanted or been qualified for.

What was the turning point for you, when did you decide to take the leap into starting your own business?

I’d been doing some work on the side without charging a fee and when a magazine asked to run a story on me, I thought it would be a good opportunity to promote that work as a business. As opportunities increased, I stepped away from being an employee. In terms of Reefton Distilling Co. I’ve always had a strong connection to my hometown and been fiercely proud of it. When my husband Shane and I visited a few years ago and noticed buildings in the main street being restored, I caught up with the person who was leading that. Shane and I decided that if a person with no connection to the town could see the magic and was prepared to do that, that we should roll our sleeves up and do our bit. I invited my best of breed professional network to Reefton and we held community forums to brainstorm. One of a handful of ideas was a distillery, but as a non-drinker, I thought I’m not interested in that! I started exploring the other ideas, but things kept leading back to a distillery. Having lived on the site of the original Westland Brewery and having always wanted to ‘make the rain sexy’, Reefton Distilling Co. was born.

| Patsy Bass picking blackcurrants in the distillery garden.

What was the most interesting thing you learnt last year and how did this change your perspective?

How to go from being Managing Director to Chief Executive. It was a strange few months adjusting to being accountable to a board after I stepped down as a director. I appreciate the value this strong board brings to their role and it frees me up to lead the team and grow the business.

What is inspiring you professionally or personally at the moment and why?

Watching the growth in the New Zealand distilling industry and how collaborative we are. Early on we realised that if we work together and share skills and experience it will be good for all of us on the world stage.

Tell us about your latest project for this year, and what are you hoping to achieve?

We bought a new 1ha site in town just as we went into lockdown and we are fitting that out at the moment. Our new, larger distillery will be open this year providing the capacity for growth into new markets, to create more jobs and provide an enhanced tour and cellar door experience.

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