Lucy Beard: Lawyer to Gin Distiller

Originally from South Africa, Lucy Beard started her career as a lawyer in London city law firms, followed by several years as an in-house lawyer for the UK’s largest commercial TV producer and broadcaster, ITV. She then spent two years as general manager of the broadcast technology company, SDN. It was during a grown up gap year of travelling around Europe that Lucy and her husband Leigh, also a lawyer, were struck with the idea of starting a gin distillery.

This led the two back to their native South Africa, where they started up Hope on Hopkins, Cape Town’s first artisanal gin distillery.

In this episode of Freedom Hunters, Lucy talks about how inspiration struck her and her husband to start up in the gin business, how they made the transition from lawyers to distillers, how they went about starting a gin distillery from scratch and the importance of family and friends.

You can find out more about Hope on Hopkins (and even arrange a gin tasting for your next visit to Cape Town!) on their website. Or follow on Instagram @hopeonhopkins