It was the kind of overnight success story every small business owner dreams of. Aaron Darke set up Salford-based Zymurgorium gin company shortly after leaving university in 2012.
But a fall-out, leading to a lengthy and bitter court battle that has taken years to resolve, would be triggered by a friend secretly exploring the idea of starting his own range - and a deal Mr Darke's company struck with pub chain Wetherspoons.
Aaron Darke was studying microbiology at university when he began experimenting with brewing alcohol in the shed of his family home in Northern Moor.
With his nascent company specialising in new and playful flavours like sweet violet, Turkish delight, cherry bakewell and a marshmallow gin called 'Realm of the Unicorn', Darke began marketing his gin around Greater Manchester. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community To begin with, business was slow.
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