Craft gin brand featured in Dragon’s Den launches £2m bond to support growth ambitions

Craft Gin Club, a London based gin subscription business which featured on Dragon’s Den, is following up on its first successful Gin Bond offering with the Gin Bond 2.

Targeting a raise of £2m, the Gin Bond 2 offers members and consumers a chance to invest in the business and earn a return in either cash interest or gin boxes.

Backed by former Dragons’ Den star and Craft Gin Club board member Sarah Willingham in 2016, the company has seen its subscriber base grow into a community of more than 120,000 members, sending out over 2.7 million gin boxes since launch.

Investors can choose between three different options for the Gin Bond, investing in either the Cash Bond, the Gin Box Bond, or a combination of the two. The Cash Bond is a four-year initial term bond offering a gross interest rate of 8 per cent per annum in cash, with a minimum investment of £500.

Since launching in 2015, Craft Gin Club has achieved rapid growth, with a compound average sales growth (CAGR) of 112.7 per cent and an annual turnover of £33.58m in 2021. The gin industry itself is reportedly “still booming”, with UK retail gin sales hitting a record 80 million bottles worth £1.3bn in 2020 - 2021, marking 30 per cent growth year on year.

The money raised via the bonds will be used to fund the business’ next stage of development as it continues on its mission to “share its passion for fantastic craft gins with the nation”.

Jon Hulme, co-founder and managing director of Craft Gin Club, said: “We were blown away by the success of our first Gin Bond in 2019. The money we raised has helped us to double our membership base and grow newer areas of our business, from ecommerce to events.

“Now we can’t wait to welcome even more gin fans on board as investors for the next exciting chapter of our story.

Sarah Willingham, former Dragons’ Den star and early investor into Craft Gin Club, added: “When someone walks into the Den, you have no idea what to expect, but when I met Craft Gin Club and heard their pitch, I knew straight away that I wanted to invest.

“And I still say this today and I still think that this could be one of the most successful businesses to come out of the Den.”