A distillery is going global with its Marilyn Monroe pink gin thanks to almost £500,000 of crowdfunding investment.
Leicestershire distiller Burleighs launched a £250,000 Crowdcube campaign a couple of months back to help it find distillery and distribution partners in the States and in Asia.
It will also use the cash to expand the 海角视频 distillery and take on more staff.
Managing director Matt Payne said the appeal attracted almost 300 investments, and doubled its initial target, with amounts varying in size from £10 to £250,000.
He believes the business can strike it big after licensing the rights to use the star of Some Like it Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on its gin.
It is producing the world’s first Marilyn Monroe gin at its base in the Charnwood Forest – alongside its main signature gin, and export, distillers and pink gins.
Burleighs, which was launched five years ago, also distills Leicester City, Leicester Tigers and Richard III gins, and has as a collaboration with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
The Monroe spirit sells for around £35 and features pictures of the blonde bombshell – who died in 1962 – in the billowing white dress from The Seven Year Itch.
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Burleighs, which turned over £1 million last year, was valued at around £4.1 million for the Crowdcube appeal.
Last year the business made a £151,000 loss, put down to investment in staffing and products and general “expansion costs”.
This year the distillery, in the village of Nanpantan, near Loughborough, will produce more than 100,000 70cl bottles, up from 70,000 last year, Mr Payne said.
He said the crowdfunding had allowed them to build closer ties with people who already loved their spirits.
He said: “Our achievements have always been driven by the end consumer and we are excited to share in our future success with those who decided to invest.”
Commercial director Sam Watson said: “We are truly grateful to everyone who has invested in Burleighs.
“No matter what size, every investment is a helping hand in our drive for global success.
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“It is humbling that over 250 people believe in our brand vision and strategic direction enough to invest.”
Speaking to BusinessLive earlier in the autumn, Mr Payne said they were looking to move beyond the EU while Brexit was still up in the air, and were looking for overseas production partners is to cut down on export costs.
He said: “Marilyn Monroe would be a real foot in the door to the States, because she is so globally recognised.
“But the US it’s a very different market to the 海角视频 – every state is different, so we need someone who understands how it works.
“In Asia we are looking at countries such as China, South Korea, and then maybe Thailand, Singapore and Japan.”
Mr Payne – who is a shareholder in the business – said it had been a massive coup to partner with the Monroe estate, putting Burleighs in the same company as international giants such as Chanel, Coca Cola, Calvin Klein and Mont Blanc.
He said: “Depending on how quickly the US and Asian markets take off, we are anticipating significant orders.
“That is why we are going with a collaborative approach and using partnerships with globally recognised brands.
“It also means that if we have a distillery partner in the US who like the gin, but want to look at doing another spirit, we can be adaptable.”
At present around 15-20 per cent of sales go overseas, with particular interest in Spain.