Former Distill Ventures MD Gareth Bath has been appointed as a “strategic growth advisor” to non-alcoholic cider brand Chance Clean Cider.
Bath, who headed up the Diageo-backed incubator from 2020 until it was wound down earlier this year, is to join Chance in an advisory capacity as it looks to scale up and extend into grocery retail.
Before joining Distill Ventures, Bath spent several years working for fast-growing drinks brands including BrewDog and Curious Brewing. Prior to this, he worked in sales for Red Bull, Hasbro and Molson Coors.
“What excites me about Chance is how closely the brand has listened,” said Bath. “It has been built from the ground up with the non-alcoholic cider drinker in mind, and it’s meeting a real need. I’m looking forward to helping the team build a brand that can stand proudly alongside the best in the low & no-alcoholic drinks space.”
Chance Clean Cider was founded by former Diageo, BrewDog and Lucky Saint marketing exec John Logue in 2024. Its 0.5% abv namesake cider is produced at Crumpton Oaks supplier Aston Manor, using apples grown in Worcestershire.
It is stocked in over 700 bars and venues nationwide, including Prezzo restaurants, as well as on Amazon.
Logue added: “We’re proud to welcome Gareth to Chance Clean Cider. His experience and track record in building world-class drinks brands will be invaluable as we continue to accelerate growth and establish Chance as a true category leader in non-alcoholic cider.
“We’ve just closed our SEIS round after a stellar first year of trading, raising £150k in the second round, which we launched in March, bringing in a fantastic group of new investors. The mix is really strong: business and brand growth specialists, customer experts and, of course, Gareth, who brings category-specific knowledge, founder support, and deep industry expertise.
“Year one was about building a strong community, understanding the non-alcoholic cider drinker, and testing how alcohol-free cider fits customer and consumer needs across on-trade, off-trade, and online.
“This next phase is about doubling down on those learnings, scaling on the back of national wins like Prezzo, massive growth with Amazon and online, as well as pushing forward with our grocery conversations – bringing a non-alcoholic apple cider made with British apples and supplied by British farmers to a wider audience.”
No comments yet