South Australian Beverage Company Supports Indigenous Communities and Ingredients

Two South Australian businesses partnered this week to launch a beverage company that will use, support and highlight indigenous ingredients.

Something Wild Beverage Company will combine the expertise of Adelaide Hills Distillery’s Sacha La Forgia and Something Wild’s Richard Gunner to promote and protect local botanicals after finding that many were being taken illegally.

Sacha has been practising making handcrafted spirits from Australian produce for the last couple of years, while Richard has been sourcing native food for his store since opening in 2012.

Over the last few years, Richard has been highlighting how many of Australia's native ingredients are often foraged without permits and without working with the traditional landowners.

Something Wild Beverage Company will, therefore, commit to creating a unique range of spirits in collaboration with indigenous communities to source its ingredients legally and sustainably.

The first product to be released is an Australian Green Ant Gin. Green Ants have traditionally been used for their medicinal benefits and protein and give the gin vibrant flavours of coriander and kaffir lime leaf. The gin also includes locally sourced finger lime, strawberry gum, lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, pepper berry and native juniper.

All the botanicals are vapour distilled at the distillery to maximise the flavour extracted into the gin.

Other products available from Adelaide Hills Distillery and distributed by Samuel Smith & Son include 78° Gin, The Gunnery Australian Spiced white rum and The Italian bitter orange aperitif.