Under the Influence of Rhinos

As a company, Under the Influence is extremely fortunate to work in the places we do. From the wilds of Botswana, to the hustle and bustle of Lagos and Nairobi, to the hauntingly beautiful banks of the mighty Zambezi, and the peace and stark beauty of the Namibian desert. Not to mention the wild and untouched coastlines of this incredible continent. Guests flock to Africa to experience this culture, this energy, and the wild places that we still have in abundance. These places and the animals that inhabit them, are one of Africa's greatest assets. They are also at constant risk, especially from the escalating pressure of wildlife crime.

That is why we wanted to get behind the Rhino Gin project. Colin Bell, a board member of the Tourism Conservation Fund and founding father of the Safari industry, approached us with the concept, and it has grown from there. Of course, there is no saying "no" to Colin!

"The goal is to create a beautiful gin, where 100% of all proceeds from its sale will go to conservation initiatives which address the causes and consequences of wildlife crime in South Africa. We will also support innovative anti-poaching initiatives – depending on the availability of resources."

Of course this has knock on effects for all Rhino conservation in Southern Africa, as the population remaining in South Africa has been used to drive relocation programs to other viable conservation areas, like Botswana, through projects like Rhino's Without Borders and Rhino Conservation Botswana, to name a few.

Apart from the fact that we can use something we love and know well (like a great Gin and Tonic!!!), to help make a difference, we are also excited to create a long term and sustainable product that can continuously raise funds for this worthy project, and scale and grow without putting any pressure on any individual donors. There are some great plans in the pipeline to crowd fund future versions of the gin, and thereby make it even more effective and broad reaching as Gin for the Rhinos AND the people!

We will play our small part, by helping get this amazing product into Guest glasses across the continent. Thanks to all the amazing support from industry players thusfar, and of course the distilling genius that is Roger Jorgenson. Here he is talking about the project. Cheers! Click here to find out more and order yours.