Raising the Glass, an industry movement dedicated to championing women and allies in the drinks sector, has unveiled two new initiatives aimed at helping “women-founded brands connect with decision-makers, scale their businesses, and gain the visibility they deserve”.
The first, The Mixer, will take place on 6 November at the Ministry of Sound in London. It is billed as “an industry connection point with a purpose”. A total of 30 women-led and underrepresented founder-led brands in attendance will be able to connect with over 200 buyers, investors, distributors and industry experts.
Confirmed attendees include buyers from Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado, alongside investors, distributors, and industry media.
Untapped, the second initiative, is a year-long incubation programme “created to accelerate the growth of women-founded challenger brands”. Launching this week, it will give five early-stage businesses access to “expert mentoring, development days, technical support, category expertise and introductions to investors and buyers”.
Brands selected for the programme will be given a spot to showcase at The Mixer in 2026, giving them “unparalleled visibility with industry decision-makers”.
“With barriers such as lack of visibility, access to networks and investor bias being cited by women founders in the drinks industry, Raising the Glass is tackling these challenges head on with The Mixer and Untapped,” said Raising the Glass founder Rebecca Oliver-Mooney.
“These initiatives will not only shine a light on brilliant women-founded and under-represented challenger brands, but also create powerful opportunities for buyers and investors to discover fresh innovation, and for sponsors to reach and support the next generation of challenger brands.
“These initiatives are rooted in ensuring the drinks industry as a whole benefits from a more inclusive, dynamic pipeline of talent, innovation and representation.”
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