Cauldron Distillery

Founders – Glen, Darren and Stewart – wanted to ensure everyone was able to participate in these activities. Ensuring accessibility for all is a central pillar of their business's values.

They were successful in securing funding through our Boosting Accessible Tourism Experiences Grant, to create an inclusive and accessible distillery tour video, including AUSLAN interpretation and enhanced audio and visual elements, and subtitles.

We caught up with the team to find out why this funding was so important for their business and patrons.

Tell us about your business?

Cauldron Distillery is an emerging, family-owned craft distillery located on Tamborine Mountain, nestled in the hinterland behind the world-famous Gold Coast. The distillery was opened in the midst of COVID-related restrictions in May 2021 and is the passion project of brothers Glen and Darren Stewart, along with their great mate Greg Dower. In just over two years, the distillery has become a much-loved local attraction and a must-visit destination for both local and international visitors. They have also tasted success by earning a swag of medals for their hand-crafted gins and liqueurs.

Why is accessibility important to your business?

We set out on this endeavour to bring joy and happiness to our guests and visitors, creating a legacy of great products and unforgettable experiences. To that end, we are more than just a place to have a drink and a meal. We offer a range of educational and enjoyable experiences, including distillery tours, gin making, gin blending, and seasonal-focused events and activations. Ensuring accessibility to these experiences for all is at the core of our business's underlying ethos.

How will this project help improve accessibility for your business and guests?

One of our most popular experiences is a tour of the distillery production space, where our spirits are lovingly handcrafted. The stillhouse houses our state-of-the-art distilling equipment, including Rosco (2,000 litre) and Big Al (100 litre) stills, as well as our gin botanical pantry, blending tanks, bottling equipment, and much more. The tour helps demystify the 'dark art' of spirit production and shows how craft spirits are made in Australia. Currently, the tour is conducted by a member of the production team in an informal group conversation setting, but it may not be properly accessible for those with hearing loss or deafness, which limits our ability to share this knowledge with this group.

How will the grant help to implement your accessibility plans?

We were successful in receiving the Boosting Accessible Tourism Experiences Grant for our proposal to create an inclusive and accessible distillery tour video, which will include AUSLAN interpretation and enhanced audio and visual elements, including subtitles. The grant provides us with partial funding towards the production of the video and has fast-tracked our goal to achieve accessibility for this experience.

Where did you hear about the grant?

We regularly check the Queensland Government’s grant finder website for opportunities that suit our industry and business.