Spirit, founded in response to growing demand from Scotland’s flourishing craft whisky and gin sector, has been operational since September 2023 from its purpose-built 1,400sqm factory at Glasgow Airport’s Westway estate.
The new firm was co-founded by five print industry veterans, with ex-Labelgraphics and MCC Label head Alex Mulvenny as CEO and owner, ex-MCC Label general manager Tom Lightbody as managing director, and directors Final McLachlan, Jamie Thomson, and Chris Crockert.
Mulvenny told Printweek: “We’ve got 100 years of experience across the industry.
“Collectively, we have all the bases covered, in terms of strategy, operations, supply chain, procurement, production and finance – and we’re all very, very customer focused.”
He added that after autumn 2023’s warm-up, Spirit is now ready for full production.
The firm has invested £5m in its brand-new factory, which operates entirely digital kit with an automated front-end, and full digital embellishment.
And though Mulvenny did not disclose particulars of the kit, he claimed the firm’s work could beat or match any other in the country in a like-for-like comparison.
“We would take the Pepsi [taste test] challenge for anybody in the UK and Ireland, in terms of our technical capabilities,” he said, referring to the drinks company’s famous marketing strategy that saw consumers pick the brand over Coca-Cola in blind taste tests.
“We’ve spec’d the machines to be able to produce any label within the spirits sector, so it’s high embellishment, multiple foils, multiple screens and embosses – in terms of embellishment, we’re confident we can match [our competitors] from day one.”
With its investment in high-end tech and a modern factory, Spirit has likewise come out of the gates as a strong competitor in the industry’s race for sustainability, according to Mulvenny.
He said: “The beauty of starting with a blank canvas is that many legacy systems are bad for the environment.
“You can start from scratch, put in the air-source heat pumps, and use green energy. All our electricity comes from 100% renewable energy. The next thing in our job list is to get our baseline assessment done in Q1 [2024], and from there we’ll set up targets of when we achieve net zero.
“It should be well before the 2030, 2050 targets: as a new, small company, we should be starting well ahead of the game.”
Spirit currently employs 15 at its Glasgow site, and has targets to double its workforce in the next three years.
Managing director Lightbody added: “We are now fully operational from our new base at Westway. As an established team with years of collaboration, we are well-equipped to deliver top-quality service to our clients right from the start.
“Westway has met our key business requirements by providing excellent connectivity, communication links, and affordable, high-quality workspace within a secure 24-hour environment."
