Have you ever met a gin farmer? That's how Jenny McKerr of the Wee Farm Distillery introduces herself.

This episode is Jenny's story of how she and her husband Stephen have spent the last 10 years building up their business - a farm, a farm shop, and a distillery - as first-generation farmers on 45 acres in South Lanarkshire.

It's been a lot of work - but Jenny is also careful to prioritise family time, and says she always gets off farm when she needs to.

In 2026, she is a proud recipient of the very prestigious Kings Award for Sustainable Development.

She has been involved in the Rural Leadership programme. She was at SRUC, and is a member of Scottish Agritourism.

Find the Wee Farm Distillery online here.

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Jenny, a gin farmer. I was just going to say we'll get cracking, but I'm just being brought a coffee by my husband. Isn't that nice?

That is very kind.

I did ask. Okay. It was definitely with an asking. That's great. Now, sugar. Yeah, There we go. Thank you very much, my man. That will be it for now. He's off.

Welcome to Blether Together from Farm Strong Scotland.

I'm Sarah Stephen. Thanks for being with us. Our chat this time is with Jenny McKerr. She's from South Lanarkshire and she calls herself (I love this) a gin farmer.

We knew we had to diversify, but we had no money to get started. We'd just get into our gin at the time, it'd be nine years, about nine years ago. And I said, you know, I really fancy making that.

I think I could do it. And the more I spoke about it to friends and family, they could see I was really enthusiastic.

Jenny and her husband Stephen and three young daughters stayed in a caravan on site for three years, chasing their dream of becoming farmers.

We'd put this caravan and we'd put straw bales up the back of it just to insulate it and, you know, keep a bit of heat in. And then of course, back end of winter, you're getting into spring and we'd ran out of straw for the cattle.

So a wee bit of light come the kitchen window. I'm going, he's took one of they bales for the cattle, and then the insulation started disappearing.

But it's not all work and no play. As a mum of three girls, Jenny talks about the importance of prioritising family time.

It's me that will take a step back and say, right, we're needing some time off because I don't want the kids growing up thinking, "oh, Mum and Dad just worked all the time".

Jenny. I normally start these podcasts with a round of rapid fire questions. Are you up for answering a few of them?

Aye, batter on,

Okay, we'll just go for it. Listen, just your first, your first answer, just go for it. How do you start your day?

So I've got three daughters, so I'm up and make sure that they're up.

Two of them are teens at the minute, so we're trying to keep teens motivated in the morning, but basically get the kids up and out for school and then I make time for coffee before I go to the farm.

What's one vice you wish you could give up?

Oh, eating the wrong things when I'm stressed. Like the lambing diet's ridiculous. Coffee and Kit Kats to keep you going,

I bet. Yeah, lambing, Yeah. I bet you don't get get those meals during lambing time. What's one thing people don't know about you?

I was vegetarian for eight years.

What are three words to describe living in South Lanarkshire?

Community, challenging and fun.

What's your pet peeve?

Hmm, pet peeve?

We can come back to that. Have a wee think about it. What's the one thing you wish you knew at age 19?

Just to ask. Just ask the question. Don't shy away from it. Just if you want to do something, chase it.

What's something you don't want to be doing in 10 years?

Oh, hmm. These are difficult questions, Sarah. I don't know if it's too early for this to be honest with you.

Right, we'll park that one, we'll park that one because that might be quite a good one for the end of the conversation. So we've got pet peeve and something you might, you don't come back to 10 years time. Let's dive in. Come on. You did well. Thank you, Jenny.

Okay, I put you on the spot and you did really well.

Aye.

So you describe yourself as doing agriculture and a wee bit differently. What does that mean?

So, I'm a first generation farmer, first of all. So we've just had the farm coming 10 years now and it seems like no time at all but working up to a 10 year farm-iversary which is quite exciting.

And it's only a 45 acre farm so you call it a small holding or call it what you want, but it's our wee 45 acre but of land in South Lanarkshire and it's our opportunity. When we bought it, it was a big risk because it didn't really have a house.

We've done the whole move, the family and the caravan, carry on and start from scratch. And we didn't start farming with a big view of, you know, having a distillery and a farm shop and doing experiences.

We just wanted to produce good lamb and good beef. I was in the meat industry at the time and that was the whole goal was get some acres and put on good livestock and produce native meat.

And the amount of comments we got about, "oh, you'll never make that work, 45 acres, that's just not going to do." But things evolve.

And after a year of putting our life savings and feeding and bed and cattle and sheep, we realised quite quickly we had to do something different. We soon realised we're going to have to generate some income fairly quickly, to sustain our cattle while they're growing.

Sorry, Jenny. Was that a joint dream, the beef and sheep?

Definitely. We always said if we don't have a farm the time we're 40, we'll move to New Zealand. That was our kind of plan B.

We always kind of like the idea of going to New Zealand and maybe contract farming or starting out there. And we bought the farm when I was 33 and I think it was something we always wanted.

You know, we'd been together in our 20s and we'd always worked really hard. My husband, Steven, he's a fencer, so he's doing agricultural forestry fencing.

So he's off the farm most days, which is probably why it works so well, because he goes and does his thing and I can do what I need to do at the farm. I think when you want something for so long, you're going to find a way to make it work.

You know, you kind of just have coos and sheep on 45 acres and sustain your family. So we had to think outside the box. And that was more. That's more my comfort zone.

Stephen's very much black and white, you know, cows and sheep, quite old school. Whereas I had to challenge him a wee bit to do things differently as well.

I think that's often the way, isn't it, with a partnership, albeit you're. Steven is offfarm. You're not just living together, you're not just married, you're working together. And it can be all consuming at times?

Yeah, yeah, it's. It's. It's our. It's a life we've created. But I keep reminding of that. It's like we've created this.

And I think the nice thing about being first generation is that if we try it and it doesn't work right, we learn to it and we move on. And we're very open about it. If it's too stressful, if we're not enjoying it, then we stop, you know, we try something else.

So we're not fixed in our ways. We're quite open to trying different things at the farm. And I think this size of farm allows you to do that without too much risk.

I'm just thinking back to those early days. You're in a caravan, you've got the girls, the three girls. I can only imagine there were some tough days. What were those initial days like?

I mean, practically and just getting to grips with everything. But also, you know, what were the major wobbles? Were there any major wobbles and what were they?

Aye, we spent all our money and borrowed as much as we could to buy the farm. We kind of bought it by accident.

It was one of the ones who put an offer in because we really wanted it and we didn't have any funds or business plan to buy it, and we didn't expect our offer to get accepted and when it did we panicked accordingly. So we had to learn really quick about commercial mortgages and create this business plan. And it was all based around quality beef.

But I suppose some of the early day challenges was, I was pregnant when we bought the farm. Yes. I brought a newborn back into the caravan and it was the funniest thing.

We'd put this caravan and we'd put straw bales up the back of it just to insulate it and you know, keep a bit of heat in because the floors were quite cold. And then of course back end of winter, you're getting into spring and we'd ran out of straw for the cattle.

So a wee bit of light come in the kitchen window. I'm going, he's took one of they bales for the cattle. And then the insulation started disappearing over the spring and the cattle were getting bedded with our caravan insulation.

But you just made it work. And what an adventure. Like, honestly, you look at it and you're like, we had, we had nothing to our names but we had our own wee place.

We could go outside, feed our cows and our sheep. I was on maternity at the time from the quarry, so I could spend time with my family that I'd never had before.

It was my third maternity and I was able to be at home a wee bit longer. So I really enjoyed just, you know, starting to spend time differently. Being at home.

You would repair a bit of wall, you know, do a bit of needle gunning, a bit of, you know, you'd repair something and you'd go like that's another wee bit done. And just started chipping away at it. You know, there was. You were never idle.

Well, most new mums are just trying to get through the day, you know, from the morning through to the night. But you know, you had so much on your plate and you referred in the, in one of their first answers that you used to work in the meat industry.

Aye, so was 13 years where a well known beef processor in Scotland and I was very fortunate. I started there as a graduate and had a fantastic mentor throughout my career.

And I started off as a graduate into continuous improvement into operations management across the abattoir cutting plant and for the processing factories. It was dealing with people, processes, product. And there was a real great pride there how you handled Scotch beef as well.

So that was my, my background career and I absolutely loved my time in the meat industry. It was similar to farming. It's a tight network and there's a lot of pride in that industry as well.

So I had a really good start to my career and it gave me a lot, almost like a toolkit, like when it came to continuous improvement about business efficiency. And it gave me a real drive when it came to business operations.

So when you take on a really rundown derelict farm, it was quite interesting because a lot of frustrations with how inefficient the place was. But then you started to kind of piece the bits together and say, well, I know how I want it to be.

And I suppose that's where we started working towards.

And you had to apply that business experience, that business head to it.

Yeah, oh, definitely.

I was very figures focused and after our first year we sat down and looked at the figures of setting up a beef and sheep enterprise and we had spent all our savings that was left, you know, trying to get this hair going and if you looked at it on paper you wouldn't do it.

But I was actually the happiest I've probably been because I was outside every day with livestock, I was working with my husband, we were getting more time together, I wasn't in factories and had my family round about me and I thought, right, this isn't financially viable but I'm pretty happy. We just need to find a way to make it work a bit better.

And how did that plan come together to make it financially viable? And just tell us at least if you can, what you do now.

Aye, so we knew we had to diversify but we had no money to get started. Basically I came up with this big list of, right, we could do this.

And aye, Stephen was quite shocked with the list that I come up with, but the one that was least offensive to him was a distillery. We'd just get into our gin at the time, it'd be nine years.

Aye, about nine years ago, we were just getting into our gym and I said, you know, I really fancy making that, I think I could do it.

And I looked into the process and what was involved and I was quite shocked because he was obviously he's a self employed fencer and I thought he wouldn't want me going self employed as well, it was too risky. Both ae us being self Employed.

And when I spoke to him about the gin, he says, "your eyes are lighting up, you're so enthusiastic about it, get on and do it". I said, oh, I didn't expect that to come to him. And I was quite shocked, actually. So I had his backing.

And the more I spoke about it to friends and family, they could see I was really enthusiastic. So why not, you know, if, you know, it's just like cooking, we could give it a go and make our own. So...

And where are you? Where are you on that, that sort of business road? How do you feel that's gone?

And, you know, is everything working as you want it to be working?

Again, we started making gin because we really liked it. We thought, right, we'll make a gin that goes with steak and then when our beef's ready, you know, we'll do a really nice food pairing. That's great.

And what I didn't realise was that we made 100 bottles. And I just set up a Facebook page and said, this is what we're doing now. We still had a tin roof. It's a, it's a four metre by four metre.

We're in it just now. It's a four metre building. It's one of Scotland's smallest commercial distilleries. We had leaks in the roof and everything.

The building was patched together to get us going and advertised these 100 bottles on Facebook that sold in two days.

And people were coming up to the farm, you know, the sheds are falling down, roundabout us. We didn't have roofs in half of the buildings and people were traipsing through a mucky yard to come down into the end byre where we'd set this distillery up and buy our gin. And I was like, wow, that's amazing. I didn't see that coming.

But when I seen the demand for it, I thought, geez, we're setting a massive opportunity here.

And I'm thinking about the market, the gin market. I mean, there's something like more than 200 gins are now distilled or, you know, now come out of Scotland.

And I'm just wondering about the saturation of that market and, you know, where you fit in and I suppose how you have to keep your, your elbow sharpened and your, your pencil sharpened to make sure that you, you remain in front and centre.

Aye, it's one of they ones like we were approached by retailers to go and do SALSA accreditation and, you know, supply into retail.

And I started taking down that road and I was really ambitious with it and something stopped Me and I just thought, you know, I don't like paperwork, it's turn my dream job into something I don't like. And I was also devaluing my product and not making as much margin. I was basically giving it away to retail potentially. So I declined their offer.

And it was at that point, probably seven years ago, I decided our business model is going to be direct to consumer because on the farm we need to engage with consumers, hear what they like, we need the feedback on our product. So for a business our size, it made sense for us to sell direct. So we set up a online gin shop so we could post around the uk.

We do gin tastings on site and you know, the gin market, the whole distilling side of things isn't great just now in Scotland and there's been people getting out of it, but because it's just one side of our business, it complements everything else that we do, so we're not solely reliant on it.

So, first generation farmer, a husband who works off farm, three daughters at that age where they're probably deciding what they're about to, you know, go to next, I don't think they could have a better role model.

You've, you've, obviously, you're obviously leading the way and I just wonder how that, that you being first generation and, and what happens next and how you see it going forward.

Aye, I keep saying my husband, I keep saying Stephen, I go, this is our dream, it's what we want to do.

And I'm very mindful about that because I don't want to set any expectation that, you know, this is what the kids must do because we've had the freedom to come into the place and make it our own so they, they can set out their own path as well.

I, you know, I remember I was at Auchencruive (SRUC campus) and there was maybe 20s in the class, me and another girl who's unfortunately landed with me for the rest of her life. I think we're still best friends now.

So we've been all through college and doing life together and she's some girl, but anyway there's only me and her and the rest were guys and everybody in that class had a farm. And I thought, geez, they are so lucky, you know, studying agriculture together.

I thought these guys are so lucky, everybody's going to go home and work.

But looking back, it was actually a blessing that I didn't have a farm because I didn't have that expectation to go back and do what the generations before me did. That's how we'll probably approach things completely different. We can't just farm.

We need to be slightly different and more engaged with our consumers.

There's a really strong theme when we have conversations on Farm Strong just about that, that generational issue, and succession issue and what has gone before and what's going to come down the road as well for many people.

Aye, so for our girls, they can go and make their own paths and me and Stephen will work away quietly at the farm and just keep doing what we're doing and doing what we enjoy. And if at some point they want to be part of it, that's great. And if they don't, that's fine as well.

And just thinking about the sort of, you know, Farmstrong, the podcast is all about, you know, our wellbeing and just wonder how much that's, you know, that's a focus of yours as well. How much do you consider that.

"You're nae guid deid", is what I think. So I can say that to Steve. I says, you're going to work yourself into the ground. He's a workaholic.

It's me that will take the step back and say, right, we're needing some time off. You know, if we're getting crabbit with each other, it's like, right, come on, let's. Time away for the farm is just as important as time on it.

And always find if you take a wee break away, you come back fresh and ready for it again. So I do believe that for us, well being is about, you know, that family time away from the farm.

Because I don't want the kids growing up thinking, oh, mum and dad just worked all the time.

Yeah, I think, I think it's one of those things, isn't it, the guilt that we carry when you, when you work together and you just, it's all consuming. You spoke about that, all that consumption earlier on, just that you, you feel guilty when you're not working.

Yeah, Aye, it's quite an odd mindset that I'm aware of it, but I think there's nothing better than coming back with a clear head and you're fresh again, you've your energy back, because you do need energy to keep all the plates spinning and to entertain guests and keep everybody happy, make sure they're having positive experiences at the farm. You cannae do that if you're empty.

I've got a lot of support about me. I think that's what's quite nice is I've got a good circle of people that are very supportive and I don't think I'd be able to do what I do without them. So I think just being able to be open and honest and having people that will tell you if you've got an ugly baby is what you need.

Especially when you're trying a lot of different things and it's good to have that honesty with a group of people as well.

Do you keep good habits in terms of this is when I start work, this is when I finish and these are the things that I'll do every day to sort of clear my head and make myself feel better?

No, I'm chaotic, absolutely chaotic and no day is the same. I do have a diary, I love my paper diary so I do have things like a big to do list but it is pretty chaotic and I'm okay with that because it's, I think I would get bored if it wasn't. As long as I've got the key things in the diary. I know where the kids need to be.

I'll make things work round about it. From a well being point of view, aye it's maybe no great because you could be out bottling gin once the kids are in their bed but I'll settle better knowing that that job's done but I suppose that self employment isn't it. We kind of make it work round about everything else and it's good I've got the flexibility to do that. So aye chaos but fun chaos.

Organised chaos it sounds like. And you spoke and you spoke about the girls having the freedom to go off and do their own thing and explore their own path.

I'm just wondering if there's something that you would like to have passed on to them what that one thing would be.

Just don't worry what other people think, just get on and do your thing. Someone's going to have a comment or an opinion about everything you do. It doesnae matter. If you wouldnae take advice from them, dinnae listen to it.

You come up against that. I think particularly now with social media. There's so much comments and words thrown about these days especially for young teenage girls.

It's quite a tricky place to grow up now. So yeah I would just say to them do your thing and be oblivious to the comments.

And how's. How is mum's ambition? Is you still burning with ambition? What's next?

Aye, I think we're just getting started. We're just 10 years in so we're definitely just getting started. I've got a real ambition to do really high quality food and drink on the farm.

So we've covered the drink side of it. We're producing the food, but we're not cooking it here.

So we've got an event space there that I'd like to put a kitchen into so that we can do like steak and gin nights and just pair all the enterprises up by offering that on the farm. But I think everything we do, Sarah, it's always very dip your toe and keep it low risk.

Don't go and spend loads on it, you know, keep it quite rustic and authentic. But people like that, you know, it's not polished, but what we do offer is the quality food and drink and a bit of chat and a blether to go with it.

And I think people quite like how it's authentic at that.

And you obviously spoke about that partnership with Stephen and the fantastic, you know, girl gang that you have and you rely on. But I'm just wondering, you know, when you do need support, when you do need to chat things through, you know, where do you go to?

Aye, I've got a really good friend and we speak every day and she's farming as well. And yeah, you know, you could be having a terrible day and you just, it just helps to share it. And we're at similar stages in our life, so it's, we learn from each other and we keep each other sane as well. And every so often we go and book something that we want to do to get off the farm. And they're the best days out ever. They always end up in a story.

There's never a sober story that's been fun, is there? But we go out and have a good drink together, enjoy some good food and we put the world to rights and, you know, it just keeps you right as well. So.

No, I'm very fortunate to have that.

And you are an award winner as well.

I know. Geez, that was a shock this year.

Spill the beans.

So we got word this year that we won the King's Award for Enterprise, for Sustainability. I'd heard about it a few years ago and I've applied for it before and never got anywhere. And I thought, I'll try again, I'll just apply again.

Because you take the feedback and you just keep trying to progress. And I was quite. I was really shocked because we're not. We're a sustainable farm in terms of.

Yes, we farm regeneratively, you know, you rotate our grazing. And we're. We're farming with nature, as most Scottish farmers are. It's the way farming is in Scotland.

So I don't feel we're doing anything different in terms of how we farm our cattle and sheep.

But the sustainable aspect of it, I think it's really nice to be recognized that we're a small farm and because we've got all these different enterprises on, we've spread our risk between all our different enterprises, which means that we can generate a profit from things like our distillery or a farm shop or accommodation and we reinvest that into the land. So we've created this business model that complements each other and we're improving the land all the time.

So it's, it's maybe not sustainability as you would have expected, but for a small business, that model works for us. So it was a shock to win it, but a real huge honour as well.

Of course, no matter how humble you are and you come across as extremely humble, it's always nice to get that recognition. "Okay, we're doing something right."

Aye. No, we're doing fine. Aye. No, I'm really proud of it. I'm proud it's a family business and we've got a lot of people help us. So I'm fair chuffed about it.

Well, you're gonna have to find somewhere on that old stone wall for a plaque.

I need to wash my bunnet first. I keep saying I need to wash that bunnet if I'm going to be down to London for this award. Carry on.

So Jenny, let's go back to those rapid questions. I don't know if you've had to think about it. Your pet peeve. You had any thoughts about it?

I think the, the noise on social media, these noisy people, probably that would be one of my pet peeves. Whether it's a vegan brigade or whatever, all these crazy things that's going on in politics. Just how we, Aye,

I like that - coming from a former vegetarian which we haven't even unpacked.

Oh, I know, Geez. That was, it was a while ago. It's like a different life. But I, that's, that's, that's true.

Was that during the time at the abattoir?

Oh no. Funny how it all works out. It was a. I was 11 year old till I was about 18, 19.

So I started Auchencruive as a vegetarian and I went there to study. I was obviously studying agriculture, but I was with a view to get animal welfare.

And when I realised how animal welfare friendly farming is, I was like, I'm just vegetarian because I've done it for so long. So that was that, that was the end of that.

I think there's nothing stronger than a former vegetarian managing an abattoir because it's such a respectful process, you know, like the welfare point of view.

I was so comfort with how everything was handled and how the product's handled and I think it's a real good mindset to have, just treating everything with respect. So, aye, vegetarian. I couldn't be veggie now, I tell you. We produce too many good steaks.

It's a lovely way to put it Jenny, the way you spoke about it there. I just want, I'm just interested to know what was the first thing you ate, what broke the vegetarianism?

We used to get half day and a Wednesday when we were at Auchencruive.

We'd go to Wetherspoons of all places and we sit there with pictures of whatever Cheeky Vimtos at the time and I says to them, I says go and order me a mixed grill, I want to try a wee bit of everything. So I had a mixed grill and Witherspoons. I was like, oh, I've been missing this. I remember eating the lamb chops going these are pretty good.

What have I been missing?

And you've never looked back?

No, definitely not.

Okay. And then well let's look forward and obviously it's sort of reflective as well.

And you spoke about the family time and you remain ambitious which is fantastic. But is there something that you don't want to be doing in 10 years time?

We've got two holiday lets just now and I suppose the farm accommodation is something that pays our debt but it's maybe not something I want to be doing forever because we got the farm for a quieter life and, and I've made it quite a busy place so it's not what we originally expected to do with the farm but right now it works because it's paying our debt and it's letting us live and plan for the future. So you know, while you've got that graft and you like for us, you know, we're young enough the now.

I know I still only feel 20 but still feel young enough to put a good shift in to get on our feet, but I think longer term I might not want to be cleaning hot tubs and you know, doing stuff like that. So that's maybe one that will disappear in the future.

Maybe one of the girls will take on that responsibility. Oh well Jenny, it's been such a pleasure.

You are just, you just lit up the, the conversation and just watching you on screen you just come across as so cheery and just positive. It just shines through. So it definitely all adds up to somebody who's doing farming on their own terms.

That's grand. I don't think we could do it any other way, so that's grand.

It's been a pleasure. It's lovely to meet you. Good luck with everything and I just hope you just keep going from strength to strength.

I appreciate that. Thanks very much, Sarah. Thank you.

Huge thanks to Jenny McKerr of the Wee Farm Distillery. There are links to her farm shop and Distiller distillery in the show notes. Find Farm Strong Scotland Online.

The how's it going tool is a brilliant, easy access way to think about your mental well being and what you might be able to do to find help if you need it. See you next time.