Edible cocktails startup set to achieve major £1m turnover

The founders of London-based business that make edible cocktails are on track to generate £1m after a sales surge in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

Melanie Goldsmith and Emile Bernard, founders of Smith & Sinclair, started making alcohol gummies as ‘ice-breakers’ for guests at their adult dating nights.

The sweets, containing a half a shot of alcohol, proved so popular that the pair started selling them at a London market, where one of the biggest alcohol trade shows ordered 20,000 gummies and kick-started the business.

Five years on, they are now selling their products in Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, Amazon, Not on the High Street and Scribbler and the business has grown 50 per cent year-on-year.

Sales have supposedly grown so much that Melanie, a former events organiser, and Emile, a former chef, say they are now on track to reach the £1m turnover milestone by July 2019.

The pair set up the business in 2014 with the help of a £20k loan from the government-backed Start Up Loans scheme. They used the money to move into a production facility and buy equipment and ingredients in bulk.

Melanie Goldsmith, co-founder of Smith &Sinclair, said: “We set up the business after noticing a demand for alternatives to traditional cocktails. We also wanted to inject some fun into our dating nights.

“We knew that together - as a former event organiser and a chef – we had the skills to expand the business and move into the retail market but we needed financial support as well expert advice.

“The support we got from the Start Up Loans Company was invaluable and we certainly not be here if it wasn’t for their help. We’re incredibly proud of the business and are excited about hitting the £1m milestone.”