For the love of Gin: Juno Gin part of Taste of Taranaki Pop-up

Dave and Jo James of Juno Gin. Photo/ Supplied

Gin enthusiasts will be able to get their hands on some of Juno Gin's products at a pop-up shop in Eltham.

Juno Gin is one of the many Taranaki businesses involved in the Taste of Taranaki pop-up, located on Eltham's High St.

Dave and his wife Jo started Juno Gin in 2016 and Jo says it's one of the best decisions they've made.

"We met at primary school in New Plymouth and in 2016 we left our careers and combined our science backgrounds and passion for gin to craft our ideal gin. It's worked well. I like gin and Dave liked factories. We tapped into the things we know and love."

Dave says their idea was to bring something unique and interesting to Taranaki, while also being environmentally friendly.

"We are working with New Zealand horticulturalists to eventually grow and harvest all our botanical ingredients sustainably, establishing new crops for future growth. Our bottle labels are printed with organic inks and are recyclable. We wanted to bring something amazing to Taranaki but look after the environment while doing so."

When designing the still, Jo says she and Dave worked with Taranaki engineering team Rivet.

"We worked with them to create a copper still that minimised waste production and where waste generation was unavoidable, included handling systems to allow recycling of byproducts into other industries. We have a built-in system to harvest and store rainwater for the cooling condenser and we've incorporated design aspects to prevent (and recover) any heat loss during the distillation."

The pop-up runs until the end of January and Juno Gin co-owner Dave James says it's been busy.

"Eltham is very in line with Taranaki's greatest food products so it was the perfect place to have the pop-up.

"Venture Taranaki is an innovative group and it's fantastic what they do in the community. This was a fantastic idea by them and South Taranaki District Council. Taranaki really gets behind its food providers and entrepreneurs. We're proud to be part of such a rich and diverse food community."

• A pop-up shop in Eltham is showcasing some of Taranaki's best producers. From chocolates, honey, baking, and even hot sauce, there's something to suit everyone's palate. Over the next couple of weeks, the Stratford Press is profiling some of the businesses that are part of the Taste of Taranaki pop-up.