Alcoholic fruit smoothies brand Sinful Smoothies is seeking investment as it looks to expand into the multiples.
The brand – marketed as the ‘naughty love child of fruit and alcohol’ – has secured independent off-trade listings since rolling out five weeks ago and is already planning to boost production to reach the economies of scale that would support multiple listings.
Each 4.8% abv smoothie, which is pasteurised and has a 12-month shelf life, contains the pulp or juice of five different kinds of fruit, and a liqueur. The range comprises two variants – a tropical orange & mango flavour with orange liqueur, and a coconut & berry variant with cranberry, strawberry, red grape and apple with a coconut rum blackberry liqueur. A winter spiced flavour will launch for Christmas.
The Cheltenham-based business was founded by two students in December 2013 and raised £30,000 after signing up an angel investor this summer. It is starting a second round of investment now.
“We’ve seeded the brand in independents but want to look at the mults and find the ‘right’ supermarket for us,” said co-founder Johnny Gurney. “We have started to move forward in our operations and it is a very exciting time for us.”
The drinks are manufactured by a third-party supplier in Wales.
InterContinental Brands launched a range of Vodkat vodka smoothies in 2008, supported by an ad campaign and sponsorship of ITV’s Secret Diary of a Call Girl. The range was discontinued in 2009.
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