Gillian Anderson’s G Spot has attracted Heineken’s attention and secured strategic investment to take the functional drinks startup into mainstream retail.
The Dutch brewing giant acquired a minority stake in the company, launched by the Sex Education and X Files star last year, and will help accelerate its expansion and boost brand awareness, The Grocer can reveal.
The size of investment is undisclosed, but filings at Companies House for the business revealed a Series A investment of almost £1m at a pre-money valuation of about £13m. G Spot also raised an additional £600k-plus in the equity raise, documents showed.
Heineken global corporate development director Matteo Peccei also joined the G Spot board.
The investment will fuel G Spot’s expansion across the UK and enhance distribution to meet the growing demand for functional, natural and wellness-focused beverages.
As part of its broader growth strategy, G Spot is also pushing into overseas markets, launching in the US last month. G Spot said this marked “a significant step” in the brand’s journey towards international expansion, with further growth in the pipeline.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Heineken, which allows us to take the next step in growing G Spot as a bold alternative to traditional wellness brands,” Anderson said.
“We’re excited to continue empowering people, especially women, with drinks that prioritise natural ingredients, vegan formulas and functional benefits – all while redefining what it means to live well.”
G Spot debuted the range of adaptogen and nootropic-infused drinks in 2023, with the inspiration for the brand being conceived by Anderson during the pandemic as she tried to cut back on high-sugar, caffeinated drinks.
The brand is available at its DTC online shop and at a limited range of retailers such as WH Smith, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason, as well as on the Netflix Shop.
G Spot added that with Heineken’s backing it was “well-positioned” to scale its presence and further the mission of “challenging traditional wellness norms”.
Heineken UK marketing director Rajeev Sathyesh said: “This is an exciting investment, and comes as part of our commitment to expand beyond our well-established beer and cider portfolio. The functional drinks category is expanding, offering consumers new choices, and we view G Spot as one of the most exciting brands in this space.”
In markets such as the US and Asia, beyond beer innovation from global brewers has become increasingly commonplace as major players have looked to diversity their offering amid declining beer consumption.
In the UK, Carlsberg is betting big on soft drinks, having earlier this summer struck a £3.3bn deal to acquire Britvic. Heineken, meanwhile, as part of its EverGreen strategy to future-proof the group, took a minority stake in boozy ready-to-drink brand Served last year. It has also extended its Red Stripe beer brand into rum with a duo of RTDs.
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