Fresh-pressed sodas, tonics and non-alcoholic cocktails. Why should the craft revolution stop at alcohol?
Business overview
Location | London, United Kingdom |
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Social media | |
Website | www.squarerootsoda.com/ |
Sectors | Food & Beverage Non-Digital Mixed B2B/B2C |
Company number | 08784537 |
Incorporation date | 21 Nov 2013 |
Investment summary
Business highlights
- 3m bottles sold. Strong DTC sales growth
- Fully-owned, from concept to bottling – no third party production
- Winner of 3 Great Taste awards and a BBC Food & Farming Award
- 6.1m UK adults are teetotal – +59% YoY. 26% want to cut down
Key features
Idea
Introduction
Square Root is shaking up the adult soft drinks category with a plethora of high-quality, fresh-pressed, small batch sodas with no concentrates or artificial flavours.
Working in the craft beer industry, our founders saw a constant influx of new beers and brewers, while the soft drinks industry stayed pretty much the same. So, they set out to make sodas in the same way that brewers make craft beer. Experimental, genuinely exciting soda, filled with character. Soda made right.
Our range includes all the classics, seasonal specialities, perfect serve tonics, and alcohol-free cocktails. We've grown from a kitchen operation to running our own production facility, using new technology to bottle handmade soda at scale.
Unlike other craft soft drinks firms, we fully own the process from concept to bottling. With a high calibre of sodas, branding, production and ethos, Square Root is the embodiment of craft.
Substantial accomplishments to date
– 3m bottles sold.
– Stocked in 9 Michelin star restaurants, and 800 on-trade outlets including a range of pub groups and cafes
– Winner of 3 Great Taste awards in 2019 and Best Drinks Producer at 2015 BBC Food & Farming Awards
– Crowdsourced a mojito recipe – our most successful launch to date. Launched as part of an alcohol-free cocktail consumer engagement campaign in partnership with Sober Girl Society & Millie Gooch (100k+ followers)
– Partnered with a premium spirit brand to produce 'prefect serve' recommendations on restaurant menus. Makes collaborative-branded tonics for high-end clients like Gymkhana & Pantechnicon. Collaborated with Makers Mark & Honest Burgers to offer a new simple serve
– Secured a listing as part of the Sainsbury’s Future Brands scheme, launching in 70 stores in February
– In discussions with Majestic Wines & Metro Pubs
– Gained SALSA accreditation and have applied to list with Ocado
– Yearly sensitised new business pipeline = £1.5m potential value (based on average win rate)
– Working with specialist importer, wholesaler & retailer, Liquiderie, we stock 27 venues in Paris.
– With a number of UK brands, we launched our Lemonade and two tonics in Italy, with plans to release the third. We grew Italian sales by 5x in 2020.
– Working with Andreas Akerlund, an early Camden Town investor & founder of Barworks, and Matt Steinhofel, an experienced on-trade sales consultant and ex-ALMR
Monetisation strategy
– Core range of drinks = 50% of sales
– Premium branding typical of craft products
– Launching and converting on-trade leads during Covid via online consumer engagement and in-venue promos
– Production method allows for innovation, new flavours, and for quick adaptions to new trends. Can work with brands, partners and customers to make unique sodas
– Aims for US launch 2023.
– Working with an importer to pitch to a Norwegian supermarket group for the next listing window (Summer 2021) Target Yearly value: £300k
- Working on a low sugar cola, functional drinks & seltzer products
- Launching Italy exclusive tonic water
Use of proceeds
We're raising to help us launch into the off trade, meet increased demand, and upscale our marketing – including the hiring of an experienced Head of Sales – in order to generate national interest and accelerate retail growth.
Funding will also be used to launch our drinks in cans. Cans will allow for easier delivery, access to new customers who don't accept glass, and for the sale of Square Root in public spaces where glass cannot be sold. Funding will cover initial fixed costs and canning production.
Ultimately, we want to see Square Root for sale on every street! We’ve seen trends like this before with the booming craft beer market – we're expecting the same to happen with craft soft drinks.
Relevant Exits:
Innocent – Sold 32% to Coca Cola for £100m. (Valued at £320m)
Beavertown Brewery – Sold minority to Heineken for £40m
Fever-Tree valued at £154m in 2014 IPO.
Camden Town Brewery – Sold to AB InBev for £85m. Turnover £9.5m – 8.9x Sales
Key Information
The company has £408,104 of outstanding loans, the breakdown of which is as follows:
- Natwest Loan with £24,707 remaining at an interest rate of 5.68% per annum. The loan is to be repaid in £767 monthly repayments by February 2024. (Repayments are currently paused until March 2021)
- £50,000 Natwest Bounceback Loan at an interest rate of 2.5% per annum. The repayments will be made over 4 years starting June 2021
Funding Circle Loan with £5,548 remaining at an interest rate of 7.9% per annum. The loan is to be repaid by January 2023.
- Close Brothers Asset Finance with £252,000 remaining, at an interest rate of 8.5% per annum. To be repaid in monthly instalments by May 2024.
- Lombard Asset Finance with £4,118 remaining at an interest rate of 3.3% per annum. Currently negotiating a payment plan after Covid forbearance, expiration date TBC.
- Director’s Loan with £21,730 remaining. No scheduled date of repayment and is interest free.
- Subsidiary Company Square Root Drinks Bar Limited has a £50,000 Natwest Bounceback loan at an interest rate of 2.5% per annum. The repayments will be made over 4 years starting in October 2021.
The business has £153k of outstanding liabilities to creditors generated through the course of business. £98k relates directly to the production and distribution of the product and the remainder relates to advisory fees incurred.
There is an existing charge over company assets relating to an invoice factoring agreement with Royal Bank of Scotland. The current balance of the factoring loan is £10,737
Investor Perks
- £10+: 10% off your next order through our website
- £120+: 'Got my slice' Crowdfunding badge, and lifetime 10% discount through our website
- £325+: 'Got my slice' Crowdfunding badge, lifetime 10% discount through our website, plus an exclusive Crowdfunding soda pack (2 x special edition crowdfunding sodas and a limited edition Crowdfunding glass)
- £2,750+: 'Got my slice' Crowdfunding badge, lifetime 15% discount through our website, plus an exclusive Crowdfunding soda pack (2 x special edition crowdfunding sodas and a limited edition Crowdfunding glass).
- £5,250+: 'Got my slice' Crowdfunding badge, lifetime 15% discount through our website, plus an exclusive Crowdfunding soda pack (2 x special edition crowdfunding sodas and a limited edition Crowdfunding glass). Plus, be part of the investor exclusive soda recipe development.
- £10,500+: 'Got my slice' Crowdfunding badge, lifetime 25% discount through our website, plus an exclusive Crowdfunding soda pack (2 x special edition crowdfunding sodas and a limited edition Crowdfunding glass). Plus, be part of the investor exclusive soda recipe development.
Please note that any discounts and/or offer listed by a company in its campaign are subject to the terms and conditions applied by that company. It is the company's responsibility to honour such discounts, rewards and/or offers and Seedrs does not take any responsibility for them.
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