Alcohol-free spirit producer Feragaia has secured backing from a Danish billionaire to help the challenger brand move on to the next stage of its development as the rapidly growing category continues to gain momentum.
Anders Povlsen, the landowner behind ambitious conservation project Wildland that aims to restore parts of the Scottish Highlands, invested more than £1.5m in the company.
Based in Fife, the business was founded in 2019 by Jamie Wild and Bill Garnock, formerly of Pernod Ricard and Edrington Americas respectively.
The start-up has also scored its first national grocery listing, with Ocado set to start stocking the brand later this month. In the past two years, distribution has grown to 350 off- and on-trade outlets across the UK, including Harrods, Daylesford, The Dorchester and a number of Michelin-star restaurants.
The brand is also available overseas in Canada and Australia, with ambitions to launch in new markets later this year.
Plans for the next stage of its development to accelerate growth further – sales are currently up 132% year on year, according to the business – include extending distribution at home and overseas, expanding the DTC operation, gaining a B Corp certification and increasing brand awareness.
Co-founder Jamie Wild called the investment from Povlsen “a landmark moment” for Feragaia.
“It is a great opportunity to realise our ambition to break free from the expectations of what alcohol-free should look and taste like, to cut out the superficial and reconnect discerning drinkers to ‘Wild Earth’.”
Lise Kaae, CEO of Heartland, the holding company representing the Povlsen family, added: “The Feragaia team has impressed us with their energy and eagerness to create a unique product within the alcohol-free alternative sector. We are excited about the journey ahead for Feragaia, operating in a fast-growing market.”
Feragaia is a small batch alcohol-free sprit that is distilled using traditional Scottish techniques combined with modern technology using 14 responsibly sourced land and sea botanicals.
It comes amid ongoing booming demand for the low and no alcohol category, with spirits giants such as Diageo and Pernod Ricard snapping up challenger brands around the world and the big brewing companies such as AB InBev and Heineken release zero-alcohol versions of their best-selling lines.
According to the latest report on the category in The Grocer, grocery sales of low & no alcohol surged in value by 25.4% to £164.6m [Nielsen 52 w/e 30 January 2021].
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