Devon winery Calancombe Estate will seek £250k from the crowd to help it pursue growth.
After 14 years and £3m transforming the estate from a derelict farm into vineyard, winery, distillery and hospitality venue, Calancombe’s owners will use the raise to chase new growth.
Crowd investors will buy into a new operating company that will run the Calancombe Estate and co-located Dartmouth Distillery Co businesses on a “commercially attractive” lease arrangement.
Calancombe said the structure would allow investors greater clarity over the performance and value creation of the operating business, and allow for an easier exit in the event of an eventual sale.
“When we bought the farm 14 years ago the land was derelict. Since then, we have invested almost £3m establishing the vineyards and orchards and building and equipping the winery and distillery,” said founder Lance Whitehead.
“We have now reached a very different stage in Calancombe Estate’s development. Much of the expensive infrastructure is already in place and our focus is increasingly on making those assets work harder and growing the revenues they can generate.
“That is why we have structured the proposed investment so that new shareholders’ money is not simply being used to buy assets we have already created. We want the capital we raise to go to work growing the business – increasing production capacity and efficiency, developing weddings and events, and substantially strengthening our sales capability.”
The £250k raise would see £100k invested in additional equipment for the winery and distillery, increasing capacity and further automating bottling, labelling and packaging processes. It would also help add further capacity for the winery’s ambitions as a third-party manufacturer for other wine businesses.
A further £75k each would then be invested in developing a wedding and events venue, and in growing and professionalising the company’s sales team to help grow distribution and DTC sales.
The crowdfunder will launch in September 2026.
“We particularly like the idea that people who have visited Calancombe, enjoyed our wines and supported us over the years can now have the opportunity to become shareholders and participate in the next stage of its development,” said Whitehead.
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