Whitby Distillery seeks £400,000

Yorkshire-based gin producer Whitby Distillery is aiming to raise £400,000 (US$500,663) through a Seedrs campaign to support its expansion plans.

Located in the English seaside town of Whitby, the distillery has launched the crowdfunding campaign to help its expansion in trade, retail, tourism and export.

Whitby Distillery, producer of Whitby Gin, was founded in 2017 by Jessica Slater and Luke Pentith.

The distillery’s products are made with hand-foraged botanicals from the Yorkshire coast and moorland, with more than 1,000 bottles sold every week.

Pentith explained: “Our equity crowdfunding raise on Seedrs will see us selling a small amount of the business through shares to our customers and to the general public.

“We believe this is a wonderful opportunity to become involved in our flourishing business, which has shown sustainable growth year over year and has tremendous potential.”

Whitby Distillery is currently building a new distillery and visitor centre on the grounds of Whitby Abbey, where it has a 100-year lease.

The company received the green light from the local council to renovate two derelict barns at Abbey Lands on the south-west corner of the Whitby Abbey grounds.

Slater explained: “Whilst we have been very happy in our current premises in nearby Botany Way, our new home will take Whitby Distillery to the next level, stepping up production and giving visitors the opportunity to see us distilling and bottling through the week with our tour experiences.”

Once the new site is fully operational, Pentith expects the business to grow by 500% over the next five years.

He added: “We will be creating one of the most iconic distillery visitor experiences in England, positioned on one of the UK’s most beloved and popular coastal locations and providing high-quality leisure and function space for the local community to enjoy.”

The distillery will also be created with sustainability in mind and will aim to hire up to 25 employees.

“We are taking a ‘fabric-first’ approach to refurbishment to improve the energy efficiency,” said Pentith. “Wastewater from the distilling process will be used where possible to irrigate plants and the vegetated roof.”

The new site aims to attract more than 100,000 visitors every year.

Pentith believes there is a “huge opportunity for a destination gin distillery in Yorkshire”.

Yorkshire is home to distilleries such as Masons of Yorkshire, Cooper King Distillery, York Gin, and Filey Distillery.

“The gin market in the UK is flourishing, with a 50% increase expected between 2023 and 2028,” Pentith continued. “By 2028, the market’s value is predicted to be £3.18 billion [US$3.98bn].”

Data from the Food & Drink Federation last year revealed that UK gin exports dropped by 12.4% in volume and by 9.6% in value to £305.3 million (US$378.1m) in the first half of 2023.