What is Didsbury Gin?
Didsbury Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage company offering a wide range of lovingly hand-distilled, vegan-friendly, 100% natural fruit-infused gins. The brand creates all zesty-flavoured gin combinations from botanically infused authentic liquid to deliver an incredible taste. Thus, it’s gin but with a unique twist, making your life luscious.
Didsbury Gin is a brand designed by gin lovers for gin enthusiasts. The flavours and drinks offered by the company include Didsbury Gin Original, Strawberry and Silician Lemon, Raspberry and Elderflower, and Manchester Tart. The price of all the gins sold by the brand ranges from £14.95 to £29.95. They also provide Gin in a Tin!
The brand also offers a variety of exceptional flavours, such as Blood Orange and Ginger, British Bramble, Peach and Rose, and Plum and Rosehip. The company also provides Didsbury Gin Gift Packs(£14.95), Didsbury Gin Gift Card(£10) and Christmas Pudding Liqueur(£24.95) to make your special occasions more special. Moreover, you can become a Gin Subscriber to receive your favourite gin at your doorstep every month.
Significance of Didsbury Gin
Didsbury Gin takes the taste and quality of gin very seriously. The brand creates gin filled with fruits to meet their exceptionally high standards. Moreover, the alcohol company uses ethically sourced, top-notch natural ingredients to add flavour and colour to their gins, driven by their commitment to deliver excellence. Didsbury Gin is the product of its careful gin-tasting standards.
The gin brand combines botanicals and carefully distils them using eco-friendly copper pot stills. This process gives an exceptional citrus flavour in the traditional London Dry gin style. It is the perfect ready-to-drink gin for drinking neat, in a classic Gin and Tonic, or as an ingredient in your favourite cocktails.
Who are the Founders of Didsbury Gin?
Liam Manton and Mark Smallwood founded Didsbury Gin in 2017. At present, Manton is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of the company. He brings a wealth of experience as an Investment Manager, Ambassador and Business Representative, having worked with prominent companies. The entrepreneur delivers exceptional results and builds lasting relationships in the industry with 18 years of expertise in strategic planning and client management.
Mark Smallwood studied at the Manchester Metropolitan University. Manton and Smallwood, residents of Didsbury, a suburb of Manchester, had a mutual lifelong love for gin. The duo’s friendship grew over countless evenings drinking brews and Gin in several Didsbury restaurants and bars. They tested several varieties of gin globally but were never fully satisfied with the uninspiring options.
Like life’s numerous brilliant innovations, Didsbury Gin was born when the two best friends identified the market gap while sitting in a bar. Mark and Liam explored how to create fresh, vibrant and crisp flavours. In 2017, they started producing gin in small batches in Manton’s living room while searching for full-time jobs. Their journey from crafting gin in Liam’s house to appearing on Dragons’ Den proves the duo’s passion for creating something unique.
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Pitch Of Didsbury Gin on Dragons’ Den
Entrepreneurs Liam Manton and Mark Smallwood pitched Didsbury Gin on Dragons’ Den in January 2019. The duo had only three minutes to convince multi-millionaire Dragons Tej Lalvani, Peter Jones, Jenny Campbell, Touker Suleyman and Deborah Meaden.
Smallwood and Manton sought a £75k investment in exchange for a 10% equity in their company. The duo successfully impressed Tej Lalvani and Jenny Campbell with their outstanding pitch. After listening to Didsbury Gin’s pitch, Campbell stated, “I like your innovation, but you need to work on it. Your product requires better branding, better story, better profile, the whole thing.”
Tej Lalvani also appreciated how Didsbury Gin had established itself successfully in the retail market, even with limited funds. Campbell and Lalvani proposed to invest the sought amount but for 33.3%, a higher equity in the company. Eventually, after a brief deliberation, Liam and Mark accepted Jenny Campbell’s offer and secured a £75k investment for a 33.3% stake in the business.
Talking about Didsbury Gin, Jenny said, “I love gin and had always intended to invest in a gin company at some point. I have to admit that this gin brand is all about Liam and Mark. Their charm instantly captivated me, and I genuinely thought this could work. I also attended school in Didsbury, so I believed it was a positive omen. Moreover, the duo had a fantastic knowledge of their product and a good understanding of the numbers behind the business.”
She added, “Liam and Mark stood their ground when the Dragons questioned them, and most importantly, I had a favourable opinion of them. I expect alcohol lovers across the United Kingdom will also like them. Additionally, the duo have built an amazing brand that will soon compete with the classic names. Stay tuned!”
After securing a deal from Campbell, Smallwood stated: “We loved the opportunity to pitch our product on the show. Moreover, when Campbell offered to invest in Didsbury Gin, everything felt like it was coming together. She saw growth potential for our brand and had some amazing ideas to expand our business nationally and internationally.”
“We like Jenny’s straightforwardness, and her no-nonsense approach and personality perfectly match the brand we are creating. Moreover, we know her genuine passion for the product, as she is a gin enthusiast,” he added.
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Campbell promised Liam and Mark to help them increase the company’s gin production and reduce costs to offer the correct price point. This step can help Didsbury Gin take its products to more prominent restaurants, retailers and bar chains.
Talking about his experience in Dragons’ Den, Liam said: “We entered the Den with an open mind. We understood regardless of how the pitch went, we were presenting our product in front of a million people. Plus, the potential rewards were enormous. It was a massive opportunity to promote and grow the brand nationally and internationally as we plan to export our products. That’s our simple and clear plan.”
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Where is Didsbury Gin Now?
Since 2018, Jenny Campbell has helped and guided Didsbury Gin to upscale and rebrand the drink business. Moreover, her financial and legal advice has helped the company to expand and work with some of the most prominent bar groups in the UK. In 2021, the UK-based gin company increased its sales by 600% and hit £3 million in sales.
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Vogue Magazine says, “Didsbury Gin stands out as one of the most promising and innovative new British gin brands”. The gin brand makes Life More Luscious by offering mouth-watering, ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages.