TWO brothers have set up a new business selling whisky barrels for multiple purposes, including as planters and bar tables.

Whisky Barrel Brothers is a new Abergavenny business venture set up by Gavin and Liam Trinder.

The brothers work for Abergavenny Garden Centre with Gavin working as director at the garden centre site in Llanfoist.

As part of this new business idea, the duo have been purchasing old whisky barrels from suppliers before cleaning them up ready to re-use and sell for various different purposes.

This includes selling them as planters for gardens, bar tables and water butts.

Gavin who also farms sheep alongside his grandfather, decided to start the business as a form of diversification from the farm.

Speaking to the Chronicle, he said: “I have always wanted to start a family business and work alongside my brothers, and branch out to do something a bit different that could be a viable business.

“The garden centre uses a supplier for barrels and I decided to get in contact with the suppliers to see about buying some barrels, with this in mind.”

Having ordered the barrels from a supplier and hauliers in Scotland, 234 barrels were delivered to a site just outside Abergavenny where the brothers will be storing them before delivering them to customers.

Despite the barrels only arriving on June 30, Gavin and Liam were quick to get to work, delivering several barrels to local customers on Saturday, July 2, and have managed to sell nearly 50 barrels so far.

Gavin added: “We have been absolutely delighted with the response we have received.

“The barrels don’t require much work as most people like the rustic look of them. There has been a great demand for the service we are offering and we hope to continue in this way.”

As orders pile up, the brothers are now planning for a second delivery of barrels from their suppliers.

Whilst many of the barrels that arrive are still in good condition and require little work, Gavin and Liam pressure wash and sand down those in worse condition. They also use power saws to cut barrels in half which can then be sold as planters for gardens, with half-size barrels costing £30 and full barrels for sale at £50.

Moving forward the brothers even hope to rent barrels out for weddings and look to remodel barrels to use as dog beds, with plans to paint a Welsh Dragon to further differentiate their business.

With the ethos behind the business being up-cycling and re-using old equipment such as barrels and pallets that would otherwise be destroyed, they also plan to diversify further by using railway sleepers as raised flowerbeds and walkways for gardens.

Having set up the new business, the brothers have even manged to produce their own brand logo and merchandise selling t-shirts, and hope to launch an online website with plans to open their site one day a week for viewings and customer pick-ups.

Gavin said: “My friend is a graphic designer so they designed a logo and t-shirts for us which we are delighted with, and we have been in talks with a web designer about launching a website, and possibly opening one day a week to sell on site. We are also is discussions about selling through the garden centre and to eventually approach other local businesses and retailers about selling barrels through them.”

The brothers are also very appreciative of the support their new venture has received from the local community.

Gavin added: “I would especially like to thank Abergavenny Garden Centre for their support and for reaching out and for putting me in contact with different people who can help with this type of business.”

For more information on Whisky Barrel Brothers and purchasing barrels please visit the Whisky Barrel Brothers Facebook page.