Alright, pull up a chair and let’s have a proper chinwag. If you’ve been following along with our little export diary (and if you haven’t, where have you been? Under a rock? Just kidding, I love you), you’ll know that Tiny Bear is officially spreading its wings. Or its paws. Whatever bears do when they decide they want to see more than just the inner suburbs of Melbourne.

Last year, in June 2025, we did it. We sent our first-ever shipment of spirits across the big blue pond. I’m not going to lie to you, Evan and the team were a nervous wreck. It felt like sending your firstborn off to school, except your firstborn is a pallet of high-proof gin and the school is a warehouse thousands of miles away.

Well, guess what? It’s May 2026. The weather in Melbourne is doing its usual "I can't decide if I'm a summer day or a winter nightmare" thing, and we are exactly one month away from our second major export shipment in June 2026. This time, we aren't just sending "stuff", we’re sending our pride and joy: our small-batch gin full range.

But here’s the burning question I get asked at the cellar door all the time: "How on earth do you keep it 'small-batch' when you’re going global?"

Excellent question, hypothetical punter! Let’s peel back the curtain.

The Small-Batch Struggle is Real

When people hear the word "export," they usually think of massive factories, conveyor belts the size of a football field, and robots that don't have feelings. That’s the opposite of what we do here.

At Tiny Bear, "small-batch" isn't just a buzzword we slapped on the label to look fancy for instagram. It’s our entire identity. It means we’re still hovering over our beautiful copper stills, watching them like a hawk (or a very protective bear). We name our equipment. We know their moods. If the still is acting a bit temperamental on a Tuesday morning, we know exactly how to coax it back into a good mood.

The challenge with exporting is scale. Most big international brands achieve consistency by being massive. They have huge vats where any tiny imperfection gets drowned out by sheer volume. We don’t have that luxury. Every single bottle of gin that leaves our Melbourne home has to taste exactly like it was poured by Evan himself.

Maintaining the Vibe (and the Quality)

So, how do we do it? Honestly? It involves a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of tasting (tough job, I know, someone’s gotta do it), and a refusal to compromise on our process.

We use a "batch-matching" technique. Instead of trying to make one giant lake of gin, we make multiple small batches and then carefully blend them to ensure the profile is bang on. It takes longer. It’s a massive pain in the backside sometimes. But it’s the only way to make sure that someone sitting in a bar in London Paris Beijing or Singapore gets the same hit of botanical magic that you get when you visit us in person.

We also keep a "library" of every batch we’ve ever made. (Internal monologue: Imagine a library where the books are liquid and the librarians are slightly tipsy. That’s my kind of library.) This means before we pack a single crate for the June shipment, we compare it against our gold standard. If it isn't 100% Tiny Bear, it doesn't go on the boat. Period.

The Logistics Nightmare (Or: Why I Drink)

Let’s talk about the boring stuff for a second, but I’ll try to keep it interesting. Exporting alcohol isn't as simple as putting a stamp on a box and hoping for the best.

Every country has different rules. Some want the font on the back label to be a specific size. Some want us to list every single ingredient down to the molecule. Some just want to make sure we aren't secretly smuggling drop bears (we aren't, they’re too hard to domesticate).

We spent most of early 2026 navigating the red tape for this upcoming June export. It involves more paperwork than I’d like to admit, but seeing our Melbourne-born gin sitting on a shelf halfway across the world? That’s the "payoff" that makes all the boring tax documents worth it. If you're a business owner looking to follow our lead, check out our export page for a bit more of the "serious" info.

Why Does the World Want Melbourne Gin?

You might be wondering why someone in another country would want gin from a distillery in the Melbourne suburbs when they have their own local stuff.

It’s because Australian gin is cracking right now. We have access to botanicals that the rest of the world is only just discovering. We aren't afraid to be bold. Our Sailor Gin, for example, is a 58% ABV beast that holds its own in any cocktail, anywhere.

When we export, we aren't just selling alcohol. We’re selling a slice of the Australian craft spirit scene. We’re selling the fact that we use real ingredients, real copper, and real people. Punters overseas are tired of the "big name" gins that taste like pine-scented floor cleaner. They want soul. They want Tiny Bear.

What’s Next? The Road to June

As we count down the weeks to our second big shipment, the distillery is a hive of activity. We’re bottling, we’re labelling, and yes, we’re occasionally stressing out. But mostly, we’re excited.

June 2025 was the proof of concept. June 2026 is where we show the world that Tiny Bear is here to stay. We’re taking everything we learned from that first messy, wonderful export and applying it here. Better packing, smoother logistics, and even better gin (if I do say so myself).

If you want to keep up with our global takeover: or just want to know when we’re releasing the next limited batch: you should definitely sign up for our mailing list. It’s where all the cool kids hang out.

Final Thoughts from the Still-Room

Exporting as a small-batch producer is a bit like David vs. Goliath, except David has a really nice bottle of gin and Goliath is actually just a very complicated customs form.

We’re staying true to our roots. We’re staying "Tiny." But our reach is getting bigger every day. From our home in Melbourne to the rest of the world, thanks for being part of the journey. If you’re feeling thirsty after reading all this (I know I am), head over to our shop and grab a bottle. You can pretend you’re helping us "quality control" for the next export.

Stay rad,
The Tiny Bear Team (and Penny, your favourite AI writer)

P.S. If you’re a local and haven’t tried our latest Negroni recipe using our signature gin, you are seriously missing out. Check out our cocktail page for the details. It’s the perfect way to toast to our upcoming June departure!