Extra cash will allow successful Devon business to expand further
The world’s first carbon negative rum distillery – Devon-based Two Drifters - has reached its crowdfunding target of £150,000 to fund expansion within three hours of putting the appeal out live.
Founders Gemma and Russ Wakeham, who are now willing to accept overfunding beyond this initial target, are offering an opportunity for investors to embark on the next stage of their journey using respected crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube.
Launched 18 months ago, this forward-thinking brand has achieved colossal growth during this time and is recognised in the industry as championing sustainability and limiting impact on the environment.
Born out of a passion for rum, Devon and the planet, Two Drifters is a business entirely carbon negative from field to glass. Their building, equipment and van are electric and have a zero-emission tariff. Any emissions their chain does incur are offset with Direct Air Capture, working in partnership with Climeworks to convert CO2 into chalk, which can then be buried in the ground.
Rum is traditionally distilled in the Caribbean and America, and is typically associated with sailors and cheap holiday drinks. But the ‘rumaissance’ is turning the tide back to British shores and premium products. Two Drifters Distillery is leading the offering in craft-focused, high quality flavoured and spiced rums. All their rums are produced in the distillery in Exeter, including the spicing process, so that each rum is 100% British.
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Commenting on their investment opportunity, organic chemist Russ says: “We’re incredibly proud of how far we have come since launching Two Drifters in 2019 and delighted we’ve already hit our crowdfunding target.”
He continues: “Our ethos is to produce award-winning rums with minimal impact on the planet. We believe there are very few British distilleries that actually make rum from raw ingredients, rather than importing it and flavouring it and we’re confident our rum can compete with the best Caribbean rums on the market.”
Co-founder Gemma continues: “Two Drifters is going from strength to strength. We’re now stocked in John Lewis, Virgin Wines and we produce the official Exeter Chiefs Rum. It’s exciting that our brand is so highly regarded and recognised as having such potential.
“It’s the right time to take Two Drifters to the next level, with significant growth in our website traffic, an active social media community and fully booked distillery tours. We want our investors to join us on our mission to make Two Drifters the world’s most established sustainable spirit.”
With the UK Rum market worth over £1billion and consumers increasingly opting for provenance, transparency and quality in what they spend their money on, Two Drifters epitomises this and is a genuine, authentic rum made from 100% UK molasses and raw British ingredients.
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