Interview: The firm revolutionising soft drinks
One Yorkshire business is on a mission to transform the stagnant soft drinks industry.
We sat down with one half of the dynamic duo behind FITCH Brew co, to talk about the journey so far and their ambitions for the future.
Andy Deeley and Emily Fitch-Deeley started their journey to create a new type of soft drink, and with it, FITCH, in 2017.
Left uninspired by the products on the shelves of UK retailers and having seen the innovation in the US, the couple embarked on a mission to revolutionise the market.
Bringing both passion and experience to the project – Andy had a passion of working in a trained accountant with a history of working with start-ups, and Emily who had a successful career in the drinks industry working with brands including Corona, Brewdog and Pernod Ricard; set about to make something different to the mass produced fizzy drinks already available and to do it from York.
The firm launched after raising almost £150,000 seed funding in 29 hours through, Crowd Cube – becoming the fastest fundraise for a new company in the platform’s history at the time.
Six months after securing the investment Andy says they made their first sale, “the hard work had just begun and we knew we needed to deliver and so our first ready to drink 330ml canned soft drink, a cold brewed coffee, was born.”
Since then the brand has gone on to expand its range which now incorporates canned Sparkling Cold Brew Tea (a UK first). Also FITCH have released limited editions such as Dark Fortune – a Sparkling Cold Brew Coffee + Tonic.
From the very start it appears the business had a lofty vision, Andy explains, “we aimed to be a craft brewery that defines our own world of soft drinks.” Not wanting to follow the traditional model Andy is resolute that FITCH not only use the best ingredients but also “own the craft”, which means they brew it all themselves. It was this focus on the craft which saw the firm move into a new brewery outside York city centre in July 2019.
Since the launch, the brand has seen success trading both in the UK through independent venues and overseas in Spain, France, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Andy commented: “it’s always great to see consumers enjoying the product and sharing their pictures with us through social media.”
Andy believes the brand is also benefitting from the rise of key consumer trends including demand for non-alcoholic, vegan and low sugar products. He said: “Seeing the rise of veganism and other lifestyle choices and the acquisition of Costa Coffee by Coca Cola has been vindicating for Emily and I and reassured us of marketed growth.”
What’s next for the brand which has taken some inspiration from the rise of craft beer across the country – not least in its stylised branding and approach to growth?
Well, Andy said: “We’ve made a conscious decision to keep the team at FITCH lean however in 2020 we’ll be looking for our second round of investment capital this year, for investors that will not just invest capital but bring strategic insight which will support our growth.
Having been inspired by the American market and with opportunities overseas is there an aim for FITCH to ‘crack the States’? “It’s an exciting proposition but a difficult market to break into, we need to make sure our brand can be activated effectively if we were ever to launch there but never say never!”
The future certainly looks bright for the brand and with the ready to drink market only set to further increase in value in 2020 it would appear that Emily and Andy are in a prime position to lead the revolution in the UK and to capitalise upon the predicted global market growth of alternative soft drinks.
