Second crowdfunding campaign for East London Liquor Co

By Lisa Riley

Published: 12 April, 2021

East London Liquor Co has launched its second crowdfund campaign in a bid to raise £750k to accelerate expansion plans.

The six-year-old independent distillery previously raised £1.5m in 2018, almost double its target, allowing the business to quadruple its whisky production and expand into new markets, including New York and California.

The business said the capital raised from the second push would be used to "propel growth" across five key areas: increasing production; expanding its eCommerce platform; delivering higher footfall and experience through the brand home, releasing new products and accelerating route to market nationally and internationally.

“It feels only right to launch our crowdfunding campaign on one of the most exciting days of the year for everyone: the day hospitality begins to re-open and friends and family can finally be together again,” said founder Alex Wolpert.

“Using the capital that we secure from this next round, we will continue to invest in our key export markets and our home turf, lay down 250 casks of whisky each year by 2023, and launch exciting new products, including delicious new collaborations with London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,” he said.

In the last three years, the distillery has rebranded, entered the RTD and seltzer categories, released seven whiskies and secured listings with Waitrose, Tesco, and Co-Op stores.

Frustrated by the lack of “honestly-priced” spirits in the market place, entrepreneur and ex-bartender Wolpert founded East London Liquor Co in 2014.

Today, the business is valued at £26m and has a target of building annual sales revenue to £11m by 2029, with the company’s eight-year plan forecasting a total of over £55m in bottle sales over that period, driven by an average YoY growth of 18%.