East London Liquor company secures Waitrose listing after £1.5m crowdfunding windfall

The East London Liquor Company has secured a listing at Waitrose, marking its first deal since raising £1.5m through crowdfunding earlier this year.

(Photo: East London Liquor Company)

East London Liquor Company, which was launched by former bartender Alex Wolpert in 2014, managed to double its fundraising target in May this year after launching a crowdfunding campaign with a view to fund international expansion in New York, Toronto and China, where it intends to launch by the end of 2018. Despite having an initial target of £750,000, the company managed to raise more than £850,000 within 24 hours of opening its campaign to the public.

Now, the distillery’s gin will be sold in Waitrose in the supermarket’s Canary Wharf, Buckhurst Hill, South Woodford, Upminster and Stratford branches, retailing at around £38 for a 70cl bottle.

It marks the first time that the craft-focused distiller’s products have been made available in a major retailer. In the on-trade, businesses already supplied by the company include Hix, Bob Bob Ricard, the Zetter Townhouse and 45 Jermyn St.

The company said it aims to sell 1.8m bottle sales over the the next five years, with total revenue topping out at £28.7m.

Founder Alex Wolpert said: “We’re excited to announce our new listings, and are proud to be able to bring great-value spirits to Waitrose. Since we started distilling in 2014, we have maintained our core values of being transparent, accessible and producing honestly-priced spirits.”