A new plant planned with efficiency in mind

In September of 2023, Monkey 47 reached a limit. After having outgrown their bottling plant and warehouse, which was housed in an old clothes factory in the Black Forest, it was time to move to a modern purpose-built facility with better infrastructure, green energy, and no health and safety concerns.

The old facility in Weiden, only a few kilometres from where the distillery still lies in Vierundzwanzig Höfe, had been refurbished to suit the needs of a handcrafted gin maker but still left much to be desired.

“I don’t want to exaggerate too much, but it wouldn’t be far off to compare it to a garage”, says Gregory Chevillat, General Manager at Monkey 47. He has been planning the move for the last few years, as the brand’s popularity – and production volumes at that – have increased.

The search for a new location didn’t take too long. Just outside Stuttgart, the closest larger city and regional capital, they found a recently refurbished building intended for alcohol production. Apart from the most obvious advantages of moving to a more modern facility, it has also made a lot of sense from a sustainability perspective.

I don’t want to exaggerate too much, but it wouldn’t be far off to compare it to a garage.

Gregory Chevillat, about the old facility in Weiden

With direct access to a highway and only 10 minutes away from the harbour in Stuttgart, transportation is now much less of a concern. With better infrastructure, less pressure is put on the roads in the Black Forest as a larger portion of the goods can now be transported without disturbing the beauty and calm of the area.
“It’s great that we can limit the number of trucks in the Black Forest, because it’s an environmentally protected area. And understandably, our neighbours weren’t too pleased with all the traffic that passed through town”, says Gregory.

The list of advantages goes on. The new facility is better insulated and will be powered by green energy, whereas oil was used for heating in the old one. New equipment has also been installed to make it easier to prepare paper and plastic waste for recycling.

Monkey 47 has also prioritised health and safety, and the new facility meets all the standards set for modern spirits production and warehousing. This includes preventive measures linked to fire safety and for operating with explosive goods such as alcohol. Another significant improvement after the relocation has been the introduction of separate paths for truck lifts and pedestrians.

“It’s two different worlds. After consulting with experts to make sure all protocols and certifications are in place and that all standards are met, we now have a much safer, healthier and more sustainable facility purpose-built for what we do”, says Gregory.