A DEVORAN couple have spent the last ten months developing a premium Cornish organic gin on a not-for-profit basis to support the work of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), the world’s oldest conservation charity.

Now, with orders pouring in for the product, Mike and Sue Bearcroft have launched a Crowdfunder campaign.

Sue said: “Climate change is a very real emergency and we want to do anything we can to protect the world we live in for future generations. We chose to support Fauna & Flora because the organisation is actively protecting threatened habitat and wildlife.”

Since first coming up with the idea for Land of Saints gin last Christmas, the couple have spent endless hours working with a local distillery and local suppliers to create a high-quality drink that not only met their own exacting environmental standards, but also contributed in a positive way to the fight against climate change.

They have set up their business, Cornish Spirits, as a social enterprise and 50p from every bottle sold, plus any trading activity surplus, is being donated to FFI, which has the Queen as its patron and Sir David Attenborough as one of its vice-presidents.

The first two batches of gin have already sold out – even though they are not being bottled until the first week in October.

Mike, a former director of the British Red Cross, trustee of Connecting Lives Cornwall, published author and public speaker, added: “Our phone genuinely hasn’t stopped ringing in the last few weeks.

"Orders are coming in thick and fast, but we want to ensure that Land of Saints Gin is sold nationally and internationally too. Money raised from our Crowdfunder campaign will go towards those marketing and distribution costs – helping us generate even more funding for the climate change cause.”

Everyone who donates through the crowdfunding site will have a tree planted on their behalf.

Additional rewards include gin glasses, wooden pens, organic t-shirts, bottles of the gin and a chance to meet singer songwriter Karina Ramage, a rising star in the music industry, at the official product launch party at The Headland Hotel in Newquay in November.

To donate, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-us-launch-land-of-saints-organic-gin