Clean Liquor Co rebrands ahead of major NPD push and US debut

TV personality Spencer Matthews’ low & no alcohol brand The Clean Liquor Co has rebranded ahead of launching a swathe of NPD and debuting in the US.

The low & no booze brand has changed its name to CleanCo, and plans to broaden its low-alcohol offering across the entire beers, wines & spirits category, its MD David Folkman told The Grocer.

In line with the name change, it has launched a duo of RTDs – Clean Gin & Tonic and Clean Rum & Cola (0.5%abv) – which have rolled into Holland & Barrett (rsp: £1.80/250ml), with its wider range due to hit the health retailer in November.

Folkman said the RTD offering would “encourage trade-up”, with shoppers now having the option to try the product in this format before committing to a whole bottle.

“Twenty-five pounds can seem like a big step if you haven’t tried it before,” he added.

It is also developing a low-alcohol vodka replacement – Clean Vodka – which will be launched next month.

It follows a £7m cash injection last month, mostly from the business’ initial investor Lightspeed Venture Partners, with the rest coming from private individuals.

CleanCo will splash the investment on above-the-line advertising, new products and staff, with plans to expand its team from 11 to 25 members in 2021.

It also plans to expand to the US next year, though Folkman said he believed the UK was “leading the way” in the low & no category.

The brand had “maintained momentum”, this year having reported DTC sales up 296% during the UK lockdown.

Willam Reed – the publisher of The Grocer – has launched an exhibition exclusively for the low and non-alcoholic drinks sector. For more information visit low2nobev.com