Busy as a bee: Hiver Beers Ltd opens crowdfunding round to steer ahead business

Hiver Beers Ltd, an all-natural craft beers company from London, has just launched a crowdfunding round to raise £350k.

The company, which uses blends of urban and rural honeys in its beer, is offering eight per cent equity to accelerate the growth of the business through investment in a second retail site.

Hannah Rhodes, the business founder, who has been named as The Sunday Times’ ‘35 under 35 to watch’, has successfully built the business with her team since its 2013 launch with turnover approaching £500k, growing almost 100 per cent in the past year.

Commenting on the campaign, she said: “We’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. If you had asked me four years ago, I would never have imagined we would be stocked in over 1,000 sites across the UK.

“[We have been] exporting to international buyers and are now looking to open a new retail site to meet the insatiable appetite from consumers… Investing in the [company] will extend our reach and brand awareness, to make the most of growing distribution.”

Hiver’s range of beers use honeys in the fermentation process, rather than an added sweetener.

The company is currently stocked in the likes of Marks & Spencer, Majestic Wines and Selfridges. In 2016, it launched Hiver, The Experience, which is a two-hour, hands-on beekeeping and beer-tasting session in London.

This session allows consumers to find out more about a bee’s life and the valuable role they play, which is followed by a tutored beer and food-matching session, where people can experience the full Hiver range.

This year, the business has taken 2,500 bookings. The money raised will partly contribute towards securing a flagship retail and experience site to meet growing demand.

Rhodes added: “Crucially, as we grow the business in building a truly authentic premium honey beer brand, we are committed to supporting the British Beekeeping community, including funding planting days to support 100 community-based hives for stockists.”