Scottish island gin distillery enjoys Full Fibre boost
Lussa Gin on Jura upgraded to ultrafast broadband
The co-founder of a gin distillery on the Scottish island of Jura has spoken about how Full Fibre broadband has helped her business and what it could mean for island life.
The co-founder of a Jura-based gin distillery believes the island’s new full fibre broadband network is a ‘boost’ that could attract more residents.
The Lussa Gin Distillery launched in 2015 after its founders identified there were limited work opportunities on the island, particularly for women.
Run by neighbours Claire Fletcher, Georgina Kitching and recent recruit Sofie Fletcher, the business has flourished, with its exports reaching gin-lovers across the globe.
But one thing that held them back was poor connectivity. They were dependent on a 4G box with limited service which dropped out during spells of poor weather – a frequent occurrence on the island.
When Openreach started building a new full fibre network on Jura, using voucher funding from the UK and Scottish governments alongside its own investment, the distillery – based in a converted stables on the northern end of the island – was able to upgrade.
And the new gigabit-capable technology has had numerous benefits for Lussa Gin. They’re able to take online bookings for distillery tours, process orders more frequently, and submit important paperwork with ease. In April 2024, the business saw a 206 per cent increase in tour bookings compared to the previous year.
“It’s been an absolute necessity for us,” said co-owner Claire. “Trying to run a small business from the north end of Jura – it’s a no brainer.
“We’ve been able to implement a tour booking page on our website. People can pre book, pay online, come to the distillery. The system goes through to our calendar, so we can see when the bookings are and how many people, and take the revenue from that. We weren’t able to do that before because our website couldn’t cope. People would just turn up or phone.
“This is not a luxury – it’s a necessity for us, especially trying to run a small business from somewhere as remote as we are. I see people saying ‘why would you need broadband in a place like that?’ – but I could argue that we need it more than city dwellers.”
Claire, who has two daughters at university and another two living at home and travelling to Islay for school, also sees the wider benefits of full fibre for the island.
“Good broadband is absolutely essential. It means we can attract people here who are doing remote jobs,” she explained. “That’s a massive bonus for a community of 250 people.
“All of the things that were difficult to do are now possible. I can do hospital appointments online now. I have two daughters at university – I can talk to them regularly now. My other daughters have to go to school on another island. Sometimes the ferries are cancelled because of the weather, but I know they’ll be able to get online and school from home.”
Lussa Gin is among the 150 homes and businesses on Jura that now have access to full fibre broadband – with engineers still at work on the island to reach 70 more properties.
Islanders used the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and the Scottish Government’s R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, alongside standard funding from Openreach, to help fund the island’s full fibre network.
Residents can access a host of online services and entertainment, with seamless streaming and smooth online gaming. The technology also supports day-to-day, business critical tasks like video calls, banking, and online trade and contact with customers.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach’s Partnership Director, said: “It’s great to hear about the positive impact that full fibre is having for the people and businesses of Jura. Reliable broadband has a transformative effect on island and rural communities, as Claire has explained, and helps them to thrive and be sustainable.
”We were able to use government voucher funding, alongside our standard investment, to make this widespread deployment happen on Jura, and more island communities will benefit from upgrades this year.”
Local people can visit openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre to register for updates and check their postcode to see if and when services are available from their chosen provider, and find out more about the benefits of an upgrade.
