Kombucha startup Holos has launched a crowdfunding campaign looking to raise £100k to support its next stage of growth and tap the growing teetotal trend.
The company took to Seedrs this week, after participating in the crowdfunding platform’s accelerator programme, offering a 12% stake for a pre-money valuation of £701k.
At the time of writing, Holos had already raised £50k from 53 investors and was open to overfund up to a total of £150k.
It plans to use the cash raised to meet growing demand for its range by expanding its sales team, fund marketing activities and relocate to larger manufacturing premises.
“We have got to a point where we have a more established brand and we have a better idea about where to take the business moving forward in terms of scaling up, so this was a great time for us to launch the fundraise and take the business to the next level,” said CEO Tom Partridge.
As UK consumers increasingly turn to low and non-alcoholic alternatives, Holos plans to take advantage of the trend by offering a low-sugar, alcohol-free substitute to booze, with part of the money raised to be used to launch into ‘evening-focused’ drinks, catering to this growing market.
Christine Gilland Robinson, PR & marketing lead at Holos, added: “We are seeing an evolution in the market where kombucha is becoming something that people are more aware of as an alcohol alternative, which is where we see the opportunity for Holos to come in, and that is one of the primary purposes of the crowdfunding.
“The market is ripe for a really good kombucha alcohol alternative and that’s where Holos comes in.”
The brand’s four-strong kombucha range – Classic, Ginger & Hibiscus, Basil & Mint and Strawberry – are currently available online and across over 30 independent retailers, cafés, bars and restaurants.
From next week, Holos’ range will also be stocked in 10 Central London locations of Vietnamese restaurant chain Pho.
It is also aiming to secure a listing in “at least one” major UK supermarket next year.
“We have been doing everything on quite a shoestring budget, so we are really going to target bigger retailers once we have moved to the new facility,” Partridge added.
Aside from its kombucha production, Holos offers training and entry-level employment to human trafficking survivors.
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