Two people, one promise: if they were going to make rum in Devon, it would not damage the planet. That promise is at the heart of Two Drifters, the carbon negative distillery started by Russ and Gemma Wakeham. In this on site episode of The Responsible Edge, we walked through the warm, sugary air of their working distillery to learn how science, data and storytelling come together in a bottle of British rum.

The Origin Story

Their journey with rum began long before it became a business. Their first date was at a rum tasting in Bristol. Their honeymoon was in St Lucia, where, as Gemma remembers, rum was “cheaper than water.” After years of moving for Russ’s chemistry career, from Vancouver to Wales, they wanted to raise their daughter back home in Devon. That choice collided with a bigger idea: build a distillery that makes rum from scratch in Britain, not just blends it, and do it in a way where growth does not mean more emissions.

“It won’t be my business that hurts the planet,” says Gemma.

“If we’re going to do this, we’ll do it with everything we have, without adding to global warming.”

From Why to How: Making Carbon Negative Rum

Russ looked at the challenge as a scientist. The first step was to measure everything. They carried out a full life cycle assessment, looking at every stage from sugar cane and molasses to pallets, couriers, bars, ice cubes, and glass recycling. The results were eye opening. Sugar inputs carry a big share of the impact. The use phase matters too. And global sugar supply chains are hard to trace.

The solution is not a slogan, it is a system. First, reduce impacts wherever possible. Then, remove what is left through permanent carbon removal. The distillery works with direct air capture so removals are real and can be checked.

“You build the business so that cutting comes first, because removals are expensive, and you only remove what you cannot cut,” Russ explains.

Credibility Over Hype

The couple are honest about trade offs. Gemma recalls turning down a tempting London Underground ad campaign after learning that the posters used laminated plastic and paper with a heavy footprint.

“You can’t talk about sustainability on an unsustainable platform,” she says.

These choices are easier when carbon has a real cost inside your business plan. Russ calls it an in house carbon price: a simple way of thinking that pushes every choice, from bottles to transport to advertising, toward lower impact.

And they don’t expect customers to buy for the planet. “First bottles are earned on taste and quality,” Gemma says.

“But the second bottle? That’s where our story helps.”

Tours often turn curiosity into loyalty. Visitors leave having seen the science and the ethos up close.

Storytelling That Stands Up

This episode looks at The Power of Climate Storytelling, and Two Drifters is a live case study. Gemma’s role is to keep the story joyful and clear. Russ focuses on the data, making sure it would survive a scientist’s review. Their advice for other founders: pick one issue you really care about, measure it properly, be honest about the gaps, and start now. If you use sustainability only as a marketing tool, it will backfire. If you design the business around it, the marketing will take care of itself.

The Big Vision

When asked about the future, Gemma dreams of a destination distillery where visitors can see carbon systems in action, pedal to make power, and learn why certain bottles or closures are used. In her words, it should be sustainability made visible and fun. Russ wants the numbers to add up at scale. He sees a challenger brand that proves internal carbon pricing and credible removals can build profit and force the big players to react.

“Make it profitable, and change follows,” he says. “Price carbon properly, and the market will do the rest.”

Closing Takeaway

Two Drifters is not selling virtue. It is selling excellent rum built on a system that refuses to pass hidden costs onto others. That is the responsible edge here: lead with product, back it with proof, and make the tough choices clear. If more founders did this, climate storytelling would not need to sugarcoat the message, it would simply tell the truth.