Seedlip Founder Launches £2M Crowdfunding Campaign

Ben Branson, the pioneer of non-alcoholic drinks has opened public investment in Pollen Projects after raising £1.2M privately

Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip and pioneer of the $20+ billion non-alcoholic drinks category, has launched a £2million crowdfunding campaign for Pollen Projects, his independent drinks studio creating the next generation of premium non-alcoholic brands.

A decade after taking Seedlip from his kitchen table to 35+ countries and the world's best bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers in 3.5 years and majority acquisition by Diageo, Branson and former Seedlip COO Emma Wykes (now CEO of Pollen Projects) have launched two award-winning, disruptive brands: Sylva, the world's first distillery and maturation lab creating aged non-alcoholic spirits from grain and wood; and SEASN, a duo of cocktail bitters 0.0% already in six markets with two new US distributors going live. 

The campaign has strong momentum, with £1.2 million already secured and investors including exited drinks founders, the former Chairman of Gozney, distributors and actor Kit Harington.

Funds will scale sales, marketing and production for both brands, including opening a second Sylva distillery and maturation lab in Upstate New York and launching a new 100ml SEASN format to accelerate global distribution. Investment will also strengthen group operations and resource.

Ben Branson, Founder of Pollen Projects, said: "In the decade since I launched Seedlip, the way we socialise and drink has structurally changed.  71% of Europeans are cutting back on alcohol and US consumption is at record lows but people still want to get together and still deserve delicious drinks regardless of the abv. We have identified a relevant audience of 120 million adults across the UK and US alone for Sylva and SEASN and this coupled with our highly experienced team and best in class global network make for exciting foundations for the next decade.

"Over the last two years we have built a portfolio of award-winning brands and established a network of world-class stockists.  Now is the right time to turn the public's appetite for this movement into a chance to invest in it, and join us as we lead the next wave of non-alcoholic innovation."

The campaign is now live at the link below.