BOSSES at a Port Glasgow drinks company are toasting the milestone of reaching the £1m turnover mark.

The Start-Up Drinks Lab at Kelburn Business Park has managed to defy the uncertainty and challenging times brought by the pandemic to thrive during 2020.

Their craft drink innovation facility enables firms large and small to take new ideas from concept to shelf in as little as three months.

Since 2017, over two million bottles have been handcrafted and over 95 new drinks launched from their small-batch bottling hall.

They offer recipe development, design, trial production and distribution.

The company has bolstered its team year-on-year and now has a 12-strong staff team, including production operators who have achieved modern apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing.

Although originally founded to help smaller clients, Start-Up Drinks Lab are now servicing global companies like Diageo, TATA Beverages, Brewdog and Distell.

The business offers expertise on alcoholic and non-alcoholic spirits, beer, cider, soft drinks and cold-brewed coffee.

Craig Strachan, co-founder and managing director, said: “We’re delighted to have hit the £1 million turnover mark.

"The achievement is testament to the hard work and creativity of our awesome team.

"All the hard work has been more than worth it to see the journeys of all the brands we’ve helped."

The business recently developed a string of drink brands for itself and two of them, Just The Tonic and Sparklingly Sober, have successfully achieved national listings with Lidl and Scotmid Co-op.

Their latest brand to launch, Inverclyde Gin, is also flourishing.

During lockdown the firm adapted and successfully launched Local Selects, a home delivery service of local Scottish food and drink products.

Craig and co-founder Hannah Fisher also used their quieter bottling hall to help the local community by producing hand sanitiser.

Start-Up Drinks Lab also offered vans to Scotmid Co-operative to aid shopping delivery for vulnerable people stuck at home during the peak of the pandemic.

Ms Fisher said: “It’s a real passion for us to support and promote the local community that we operate in.

"We made a commitment to both the Inverclyde region as well as the wider Scottish community to always look to create a positive impact through our operations, whether it is partnering with other brands, using local ingredients or hiring and training locally.

"We received a lot of support so we are determined to give back where we can.”