Burning Barn Rum

Idea

Introduction

In September 2015 co-founders Katherine & Harry Jenner experienced a massive fire on their family farm which destroyed Harry’s father’s barn and the business he had built up over the previous 30 years.

Inspired by his tenacious response to this event, and motivated to forge something positive from it, Katherine & Harry launched their own craft rum business - Burning Barn Rum – in late 2017.

Since then, we have expanded our range to 3 core rums, 3 delicious premixed RTD cans, gift boxes and an annual Limited Edition release in collaboration with a fellow local craft producer.

We aim to make the finest rum that is handcrafted without compromise. Rum with real spice and a dash of smoke. Rum that is forged from the fire.

We intend to be the flavoured rum brand of choice for the millions of consumers who have been introduced to the category by the big brands, and are now looking for premium, craft products with more authenticity.

Substantial accomplishments to date

- Achieved listings in some of the UK’s largest retailers, including Tesco, Morrisons, Selfridges and Harrods

- Won two prestigious industry awards – Great Taste Gold Star and London Spirits Competition Silver Medal

- Selected from hundreds of applicants to present our products on Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4

- Exported to Russia and Germany, with ongoing sales to Germany via our established distribution partner there

- Jumped from sales rank 268 in the rum category on Amazon to sales rank 28 within 4 months of launching on the site

- Supported two charities due to donating 10% of profits from our Limited Edition releases in 2021 and 2022

- Over £925k turnover to date, registering a profit in FY 2021/22*

*based on unaudited management accounts.

Stuart Deeley - Masterchef Professional 2019 winner & Head Chef at Smoke at the Manor

Monetisation strategy

Our strategy is based on 4 key pillars. Premium independent retail. National Grocery. Export and Regional Independent On Trade.

Premium independent retail is our foundation and centre of gravity. Farm shops, bottle shops and premium retailers across our region have demonstrated consistent and resilient growth for Burning Barn since our inception. We engage with this market through trusted wholesalers and we aim to use this investment to reinforce our success in this area and replicate proven case studies with wholesale partners in other parts of the UK.

In National grocery we plan to grow existing local listings into regional listings and support existing regional listings to ensure they are best in class. We will strive to do this without undermining our premium position.

Regional Independent On Trade. Small to medium pub and restaurant groups that are aligned with our brand. We aim to target these in order to replicate the regional traction we have demonstrated in premium retail. We aim to reinforce this by adopting a distinctive and personal sales and support strategy.

To date all of our export sales have sought us out. This investment will allow us to pursue a deliberate Export strategy developed in partnership with the University of Birmingham MBA programme.

The majority of our direct-to-consumer sales are through our own website, with sales increasing 49% in FY 2022/23 compared to 2021/22.*

*based on unaudited management accounts.

Use of proceeds

35% = Team – Key hires in Sales & Marketing

40% = Marketing – Building our brand and listing support

15% = Working capital – For growth and to ensure we can keep up with demand

10% = Sustainability – Future proofing our business