Functional drinks brand Agua de Madre is seeking to raise up to £300k at a £4m valuation via equity crowdfunding.
The brand, which makes water kefir products and culture shots, as well as a ‘remedio’ ginger paste made from the biproduct of fermentation, said it would use funds to upscale production, invest in NPD, make new hires and support growth in the UK and overseas.
The raise – the brand’s second after a successful £250k campaign in 2020– is open for pre-registration and will go live on Crowdcube later this month.
Founded in 2017 by Nicola Hart, the Hackney-based Agua de Madre is currently stocked with retailers including Harrods, Whole Foods Market, Abel & Cole and Daylesford, as well as rapid delivery player Zapp. It is also sold on Amazon.
The brand is set to launch this month in Dishoom restaurants and is currently in discussions with several national grocery retailers.
Sales for the financial year 2023/24 were forecast to be £338k and pass the £1m mark in 2024/25, before doubling again to £2.3m in 2025/26, Agua de Madre said.
A “passion for fermentation and its profound health benefits, rooted in rich cultural traditions,” inspired Agua de Madre, said Hart.
“As a non-drinker, I sought a complex, satisfying drink to enjoy with friends, and water kefir was the perfect discovery,” she said. “We aim to share this exceptional drink with the world, offering a healthy delicious alcohol alternative.”
The brand’s drinks are made from fermenting a “mother culture” of bacteria and yeast with organic fruits to produce a naturally sparkling, vegan and low sugar beverage boasting “immunity-boosting live cultures”.
Agua de Madre’s leadership team consists of Hart, alongside MD Leon Pullin and former Jarr Kombucha founder Adam Vanni.
Current investors include Bibendum founder Simon Farr and Matt Clark, co-founder of advertising agency Mother.
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