Bermondsey Mixer Co to wind down as ‘spiralling’ costs mount

London soft drinks maker Bermondsey Mixer Co is to cease production of its drinks, the brand’s owner has revealed.

Speaking to The Grocer, founder Lawrence Mason said the decision to wind down the brand – which at its peak was listed with Ocado and Whole Foods Market and sold in 16 markets globally – had been made after several months of “things gradually getting worse”.

He said: “We didn’t see any growth in our category, particularly for a handcrafted mixer like ours. It was a real challenge and I think the big thing that made the decision [was] people we were supplying – small bars, restaurants, hotels, distributors – were starting to go under. With that you don’t get paid.”

Mason cited Covid, Brexit and the “spiralling” cost of raw materials as other factors that influenced the decision to shut up shop, 10 years after starting the south-east London business.

“When you’re squeezed as we are on your margins, you’re only making pennies,” he said. “When those pennies turn to nothing there’s no point running the business. You can’t really afford to run a charity when you’re a small company like us.”

Mason said since the pandemic he and his team had increasingly found themselves engaged in recipe development and consultancy work for RTD cocktail, mixers and soft drinks brands.

He intends to continue offering this service after existing stocks of Bermondsey Mixer Co have been sold through. This is expected to take until the end of August.

“It’s nice to be creative again, and to do stuff [that is] expressive, and also not have all decisions and all of the pressure on your doorstep,” he added.

Despite the decision to wind down production, he said he hoped Bermondsey Mixer Co’s liquids could live on under a new brand name in the future.

“It doesn’t actually necessarily mean goodbye to the liquids,” he said. “We’ll see where that goes in the future. There’s a few people interested in potentially relaunching it under a new brand.

“I’m not sure where that’s going to go, so I can’t really speak too much about that yet.”