DRTY Drinks

Idea

Introduction

DRTY was founded in 2019 by Oli Clements and Matija Pisk, both formerly of Diageo PLC. Their idea was to bring a lighter, lower calorie product to the ready-to-drink alcohol category, which is dominated by overly sweet drinks low in quality.

Around this time a new drinks category called ‘Hard Seltzer’ (alcoholic sparkling water with flavours) emerged in the US, growing at rapid pace. The Hard Seltzer market is now worth $7bn globally. The pair spotted an opportunity to bring an explosive new trend to the UK and launched as one of the first Hard Seltzer brands in the UK.

Fast forwards 3 years and more than 1 million cans of DRTY have been sold. DRTY is stocked nationwide in Waitrose, BP M&S, Ocado & Whole Foods. To top it off, in 2022 DRTY was the fastest growing RTD alcohol brand in UK supermarkets**.

Why call it DRTY? We came up with the idea to ‘drink clean, live DRTY’. The perfect way to capture the essence of a brand designed to be clean, with a rebellious, DRTY personality.

Substantial accomplishments to date

1 - SECURED NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION: DRTY is stocked nationwide in Waitrose, BP M&S, Ocado & Whole Foods. It is sold in hundreds of independent convenience stores across London and the South. DRTY is also the Hard Seltzer of choice at some of the UK’s leading festivals and events such as Mighty Hoopla, GALA & Krankbrother.

2 - PROVEN RATE OF SALE: In 2022 DRTY was the fastest growing RTD alcohol brand in UK supermarkets.

3 - DEVELOPED A KICK-ASS PRODUCT: DRTY's mango and raspberry flavours was chosen as the best tasting product vs. the market leader in an independently run blind taste-test***.

4 - BUILT AN ARMY OF DRTY FANS: over the past 3 years 1 million cans of DRTY have been sold.

5 - DRTY HAS REAL MOMENTUM: we’ve built an engaged social media following and had some incredible TV features including Sunday Brunch and Steph’s Packed Lunch. DRTY has been written about in GQ, Sunday Times, Guardian and got a 5* review in the Daily Mail’s taste test.

6 – AND IS BACKED BY INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: DRTY is backed by Velocity Capital and the FSE Group.

Monetisation strategy

Our business model is to generate revenue through the sale of products into retailers and wholesalers.

DRTY Drinks has realised >£1.5m in historical revenue and grown by >50% every year since launch***. We delivered £800k in 2022 and have an ambition to grow that 5x by 2025.

We plan to achieve this by growing in 3 priority sales channels:

1 - National Retailers: DRTY is currently stocked in Waitrose, BP M&S, Ocado & Whole Foods. We plan to grow with our existing customers through in-store activity, new flavours and formats and will secure listings with further retailers.

2 - Independent Convenience: DRTY is currently stocked in hundreds of independent convenience stores, with chilled fridge space in some of the best locations in London and the South. We plan to continue growing with these customers.

3 - Venues & Festivals: DRTY is the exclusive Hard Seltzer partner at some of the UK’s leading late-night venues, festivals and events. We plan to continue expanding, with the aim of partnering with the best outlets.

***Based on unaudited management accounts

Use of proceeds

Our strategy is to keep a low cost-base whilst investing heavily in building brand awareness.

Marketing - 65%

Our primary marketing investment will be focused on festival partnerships. This drives mass trial of the product and builds brand awareness among our target consumers.
We will also invest in trade marketing with our retail customers, investing in ‘in-store’ activity that ensures DRTY stands-out in stores and has strong rate-of-sale at the point of purchase.

Re-Brand – 10%

We intend to invest in a ‘brand refresh’ to update our current packaging and brand messaging, with the aim of enhancing consumer appeal and unlocking new major retailers.

Additional Hires – 15%

We plan to hire 1x Supply & Operations Manager and 1x additional Sales Manager, making a total Sales team of 5, to support our growth plans.

New Product Development – 10%
We will invest in developing new flavours and product formats, aimed at appealing to new consumers and usage occasions.

*Based on unaudited management accounts
**Based on unit sales data (52 Weeks to 14 Jan 2023 vs prior 52 weeks in Grocery Multiples)
***Independent blind taste test run by Wirral Sensory Services, 2021