Former Dragons Den contestants surpass crowdfunding targets in 48 hours

The campaign launched to a closed group of interested parties on the 5th June and raised £584,000 by the end of day two. It opened to the general public on Tuesday 13th June and will remain open until 11th July, or until the maximum investment threshold is reached. At present the Seedrs campaign has hit 150 per cent of target - £750k (from more than 600 investors).

Craft Gin Club was founded in 2015 by Jon Hulme & John Burke, who met at business school in Madrid (where they enjoyed a few Spanish G&Ts), shipping 6,800 boxes of gin discovery sets in their first 12 months, achieving £400k revenue.

In 2016 they appeared on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den, winning investment from Sarah Willingham and gaining national awareness; by 2017 they’d shipped their 100,000th Gin of the Month box and by 2018 revenue had hit over £10m.

2020 saw the launch of the Craft Gin Club online shop, launching cocktail syrups and gin advent calendars and the millionth Gin of the Month box was shipped; over 3 million Gin of the Month boxes have now been delivered with over £100m of cumulative sales and 450,000 subscribers to date as well as over 270,000 online shop orders.

Craft Gin Club support small, independent distillers, helping them reach a wider audience and grow their own businesses.

London-based Craft Gin Club plans to use the funds raised via the campaign to help expand its activities within gin, while also looking to replicate its success to date within new spirits categories and across new sales channels and markets.

Co-founder and CEO of Craft Gin Club, Jon Hulme comments, “Over the years, many of our loyal supporters have expressed interest in owning shares in Craft Gin Club and we’re thrilled to be offering that opportunity for the very first time.

“We’re incredibly excited about the plans we’ve got in store - from adventures in new spirits to taking on new markets. We’re already seeing early signs of success in these growth areas, with our very first rum box flying off the shelves following its launch this month.”

Investors in the crowdfund will follow in the footsteps of the highly successful drinks industry entrepreneur, Sarah Willingham, who invested in Craft Gin Club in 2016 when co-founders Jon Hulme and John Burke appeared on the BBC Dragons’ Den.

Sarah, who has remained an active member of the board ever since, comments, “I’m really excited about the future working with one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with to create great sustainable growth. I have no doubt that this will be one of the most successful businesses ever to come out of the Den.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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