On International Women’s Day every year, the voices and stories of women across the world are celebrated, as we address the issues that cause gender inequality and diversity. But despite these issues remaining, such voices and stories take a backseat once the day is done.
We think it’s worth doing the opposite and actively challenging the issues that create these gaps in our industry. So, we’ve launched this weekly series, Wednesday Women, where we’ll profile the stories of the inspiring women in this great and wide industry.
Today we speak with Harriet Messenger, Head of Brands at Husk Distillers, about joining her family business, fostering creativity, and supporting women in the distilling industry.
Prior to joining the family business, Messenger had extensive experience in hospitality and in marketing, working two days a week at a marketing agency and three hospitality jobs while completing her Bachelor’s degree.
“Mum and Dad started Husk Distillers in 2012, and when we released Ink Gin in 2015, I left all four jobs to work full time as the Sales and Marketing Manager,” she said.
“Today my role is Head of Brands. I oversee our three brands; Ink Gin, Husk Rum and Husk Farm Distillery, our tourism and hospitality business, and manage the marketing for our consumer facing channels.”
A creative approach
One of Messenger’s favourite parts of her role is sharing the stories behind the brands she works across.
“My job is to tell the human story behind our spirits: the story of my family, our team and our community, sharing the highs and lows of farming while pioneering Australian farm to bottle juice rum, challenging convention, and pushing boundaries. We do this by building relationships online and in person. I love working on storytelling across both brands, it keeps things exciting and diverse,” she said.
Working across the three brands offers Messenger diverse opportunities to utilise her skills.
“Ink Gin and Husk Rum are very different brands, but the founding values of authenticity, quality and innovation are the same. We bring both brands to life in different ways. Husk Rum has a deep sense of provenance. Strongly connected to the land where it is made from fresh juice and cane honey instead of molasses, a true farm to bottle approach. Ink Gin, on the other hand, is polished, playful, and creative. While rooted in the Northern Rivers, Ink is truly a global spirit, coming alive in homes and bars around the world,” she said.
With creativity such a concern for Messenger’s role, she is thankful to be surrounded by a supportive and dynamic team.
“Our wider team is super creative and ideas flow easily across the business. Great ideas can come from the production, executive and cellar door teams, and our open lines of communication mean we build off each other’s sometimes crazy thought bubbles to build strategy and campaigns,” she said.
Messenger also finds consumers to be helpful in devising new ideas about how to promote her brands.
“The cellar door is a big source of creativity for me personally. Getting instant feedback from guests is huge. They are our focus group.”
Empowering women in distilling
Amid the generally male-dominated world of distilling, Messenger is grateful to work alongside many experienced and influential women at Husk Distillers.
“What stands out most to me about our team, particularly in tourism and hospitality which is led by myself and our Venue Manager, Nicole, is the strong culture of empathy, collaboration, and acceptance that we’ve built. Compared to other places I’ve worked, having an equal gender split and women in leadership positions has contributed to a more nurturing environment, and the men we work with are just as supportive as the women,” she said.
Messenger believes the promoting women in the workforce is a benefit to the business.
“Husk has become a safe space where people can feel comfortable being themselves. This, in turn, has allowed us to create a diverse team where people are confident expressing their ideas, resulting in better business outcomes,” she said.
Additionally, Messenger has been involved with the Women of Australian Distilling for several years, including hosting this year’s International Women’s Day event. With organisations like the Women of Australian Distilling, Messenger is slowly seeing a shift in the industry towards great equality and inclusion for women.
“There is no reason that the drinks industry should be male dominated. However, the reality is that women and gender diverse people are underrepresented at management level. This may be because they aren’t supported in career progression, don’t see opportunities for themselves, or simply don’t feel safe in an industry that combines alcohol with majority male workplaces,” she said.
“This is slowly changing and collectives like Women of Australian Distilling are important to promote, encourage and support those in the industry, showing the exciting places the drinks industry can take you, and bringing everyone else along for the ride.”