Drinks firm launches £400k crowdfunding campaign

Ashton-under-Lyne drinks firm Skinny Brands is seeking investment of £400,001 through an equity crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs.

Skinny Brands makes ‘skinny’ alternatives and Skinny Lager, the 4% ABV, 89-calorie lager.

Skinny Brands was founded in October 2015 by entrepreneurs Tom Bell and Gary Conway.

They set out to create a range of ‘better–for–you’ alcohol alternatives without compromise, which would respond to the needs of the market.

The launch of the campaign comes weeks after the brand appointed new sales director, former Kopparberg driving force, Adrian Hirst.

Over the past two years Skinny Brands has seen outstanding growth in the industry, winning listings in five top major retailers in the UK, 20+ on-trade wholesalers including five national Routes to Market (RTMs), 1,000+ on-trade stockists and sales into 10 international markets, including the UAE, Dubai and Russia.

In 2018, Skinny Lager also launched in the Australian market with one of the biggest and best liquor retailers in the world. Woolworths launched Skinny Lager across their liquor retail estate in Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores nationwide.

So far the business has raised £1.7m through a network of private investors, some of which have extensive experience in the alcohol industry and in building global brands.

Skinny Brands turned over £445,000 in 2016/2017, and this year has turned over £1.4m, which is a 211% increase year-on-year.

Tom Bell, Skinny Brands managing director, said: “Skinny Brands have already taken the market by storm – Skinny Lager is exported to the likes of Italy, Norway, Russia and as far as Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Australia, to name a few.

“These are huge successes, and we want to continue driving this forward and make sure Skinny Brands products have a higher consumer awareness, starting with the EU and UK.”

He added: “We have a solid foundation of awareness and positive feedback from our customers – 92% of consumers who purchase Skinny Lager will buy our product again, which is a really telling statistic.

“We believe with this round of funding we will be able to further expand our listings and ensure Skinny Lager becomes the number one lifestyle brand for alcohol in the UK.”