La Martiniquaise-Bardinet becomes Sir James 101 sole owner
French firm La Martiniquaise-Bardinet has fully acquired Sir James 101, three years after taking a minority stake in the alcohol-free cocktail brand.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sir James 101 was founded by Vincent Yilmaz and Rambert de Lange in 2019 under a company called Brand Captains. It offers a range of ready-to-drink (RTD) mocktails and non-alcoholic alternatives.
While the La Martiniquaise Group is now the sole owner of the brand, Yilmaz and de Lange will continue to be involved.
They said: “After more than seven years of building and developing Sir James 101 and seeing the brand achieve remarkable year-on-year growth, we feel this is the right moment to take a step back. We look back with great appreciation on the successful collaboration with La Martiniquaise over the past years and are proud of what we have achieved together.
“We are pleased to remain involved in the coming years, supporting the continued sales and development of Sir James 101 in export markets and helping the brand reach new consumers around the world.”
Citing IWSR data, La Martiniquaise said Sir James is a top five non-alcoholic RTD brand in Europe. Following the acquisition, the company will focus on growing the brand across the Benelux and international markets.
According to La Martiniquaise, the brand is the market leader in Belgium by volume, and ranks third in the Netherlands, where it first launched.
Beyond the Netherlands and Belgium, the brand is available in France, Switzerland, the US, the UK and Italy. The La Martiniquaise Group said ‘new export markets such as Austria, Ukraine, Germany and Poland are on the agenda’.
According to IWSR, global volumes of no-alcohol alternatives are forecast to grow by 36% between 2024 and 2029.
Cyril Cahart, managing director of La Martiniquaise-Bardinet France and CEO of La Martiniquaise Benelux, said: “This is an important and exciting step for La Martiniquaise. Over the past few years, Sir James 101 has taken on an increasingly significant role within our portfolio, making this a logical next step for both companies.
“The alcohol-free cocktail and festive category continues to show strong growth, both within the Benelux and internationally. Therefore, the continued international development and growth of the non-alcoholic portfolio within the group is of strategic importance.”
Lieven Stevens, managing director of La Martiniquaise Benelux, confirmed that the brand-building company founded by de Lange and Yilmaz, Brand Captains, will continue to support Sir James 101.
He added: “We are delighted to further develop this outstanding brand and unlock its full potential. At the same time, Brand Captains will remain involved in supporting export activities in close collaboration with all sister companies or export departments, ensuring continuity and leveraging their valuable expertise and relationships.”
Sir James joins a portfolio that includes Cutty Sark, Label 5, Glen Moray, Saint James, Poliakov and Marie-Brizard.
Last year, La Martiniquaise-Bardinet bought Venezuelan rum Cacique from Diageo and took a majority stake in English gin producer Warner’s Distillery.
In June, the company purchased a 40% stake in Spanish company Street Liquors.
