Warner’s gains £1.5m to go global

English gin producer Warner’s has secured a £1.5 million (US$1.8m) investment to fund its international expansion and triple sales over the next five years.

Warner’s received the investment from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), provided by The FSE Group Debt Finance Fund and backed by the Recovery Loan Scheme.

The funds will also be used for marketing objectives, production and tourism capacity.

Tina Warner-Keogh, co-founder and co-CEO, said: “We’ve developed a strong brand around quality and provenance and have secured the funding and resources required to meet growing demand.

“The MEIF expansion capital means we can continue delivering growth and build on the platform created to date.

“We’re grateful to FSE for their backing, enabling us to double bottling capacity and work towards our ambition to triple sales to £25-plus million over the next five years.”

The distillery moved into the non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ space with the launch of its 0% Botanic Garden Spirits range in September 2020, said to be “one of the fastest-growing areas of the business”.

Warner’s is based on a family farm in Northamptonshire and produces spirits using home-grown botanicals.

The B Corp-certified business established a ‘world first’ initiative to encourage biodiversity in pub gardens across the UK. Furthermore, the producer’s Trash & Treasure botanical series is made using ‘unwanted’ ingredients and food wastes such as dandelion roots, overripe bananas and discarded citrus peels.

The global gin market is estimated to be worth £9.3 billion (US$11.4bn), with the UK accounting for £2.2bn (US$2.7bn), Warner’s said.

In November last year, SB sat down with the founder of Warner’s to discuss the brand’s journey so far.