I started to develop Wild Eve years ago for several reasons - I don’t drink alcohol, I never really have and I was really fed up with the insipid mocktails, elderflower cordial and orange juice which were the only offerings in pubs, clubs and most restaurants. I watched friends enjoying complex, delicious drinks and thought this must be possible in an alcohol free drink too. My background is in plants - I’m a proper old fashioned Apothecary and I realised that using that plant knowledge acquired over decades I could create something not only delicious to drink but also therapeutically active. I thought this might offer other people, who might want to moderate their alcohol consumption or stop entirely, a drink that made them feel relaxed and calm but also satisfied. It took over 4 years to get it right!

My background is in therapeutic plants - I’ve worked with plants for 40 years, growing and using them in my therapeutic practice. Temple Collective brings all my plant work together into a rather beautiful wellness brand. I’m a Homoeopath and specialist in mother tinctures, which are to support the different functions of the body. I’m also a producer of essential oils and aromatic waters, I have a skincare company A.S Apothecary which makes incredibly lovely, effective skincare and is now being used in Claridges Spa amongst others. I also make therapeutic tinctures, bitters, wild flower and seaweed teas and I roast speciality bean coffee. Wild Eve fits so well into the overall brand being both therapeutic, plant based and delicious.

All my work is a celebration of the power of plants and there are enormous overlaps between each part of Temple Collective - many ingredients are shared between products, everything is made in tiny batches and every part of the business has environmental stewardship at its heart.

I don’t think there is another company that so thoroughly embraces the full spectrum of plant work and applies it across so many areas. Our approach to our plantwork and products set us apart, we never use bought in tinctures to aid scaling the business, we prefer to keep small and true to our principles.

We use regenerative farming practices, we grow organically, we’re committed to environmental stewardship of the land we use, all our planting is designed to encourage biodiversity and preserve habitat.

All our products are made by hand in small batches, every ingredient is included to make the product the best it can be. By hand making, we avoid including ingredients which big commercial makers add to make machines run smoothly.

We produce all year round with seasonal ingredients - some we use fresh, some we freeze, others are dried or macerated or tinctured for inclusion in products throughout the year.

Many of our ingredients are local - all our key ingredients are from Harris but some others we can’t grow locally so for now we import them from trusted friends.

We cap production of Wild Eve at 10k bottles a year to protect our fragile local ecology. The cap only rises if we grow more. We hope to inspire people to consider degrowth as a sustainable approach to consumption.

We follow the Living Wage Foundation guidance and we have a flat company hierarchy accepting that every person within the company is as important as another.

Are you noticing anything in particular about your customers / consumers - are habits changing, evolving?

Yes definitely, there is far more acceptance of non-alcoholic or moderated drinking as an option. The 50+ Michelin starred restaurants we work with are so enthusiastic about offering something great for their clients and their clients are demanding it. We’re finding that the women who buy A.S Apothecary products are now buying Wild Eve as part of their online ordering, especially at menopause where there is often heightened anxiety and sensitivity to alcohol, Wild Eve is offering a wonderful alternative. We’re also finding many younger people don’t want alcohol and instead are choosing Wild Eve and other alcohol free alternatives. It is a rapidly changing landscape and we’re so excited to be part of it.
Personally, what’s your favourite way to serve Wild Eve?

I love it straight on the rocks with a sprig of Mint and a quarter slice of pink Grapefruit - it’s really feisty.

When did you come to know about us at Rapscallion?

I met Gregor at an event at the Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh, he was fantastic. Our approach, although different, felt at its heart exactly the same. I tasted Rapscallion Soda at the Townhouse and thought it was wonderful - full of vitality and flavour. Brilliant work.

I loved the Ginga Ninja, it was so tasty and I love the playful names.

What’s next for you guys - anything exciting on the horizon that you can reveal, or anything customers should keep an eye out for?

This year we’re really concentrating on the wellness sector - having Wild Eve as the welcome drink at Claridges Spa has opened up a whole new area for us, it offers us the opportunity to bring together A.S Apothecary products and Wild Eve as a single offering to spas and retreats. I’m really excited about that.