Low calorie alcoholic drinks retailer bags £600k investment

DrinkWell, a beverage retailer which specialises in low calorie alcoholic drinks, has secured a £600,000 investment from Sadita Holdings to boost its range of products and continue to expand.

This is the second round of investment Sadita Holdings has put into the business.

Founder Tom Bell, who now serves as managing director, hailed the DrinkWell team for their hard work in building the brand to this point.

“The stars are aligning for DrinkWell, both as a marketplace and as a leading, innovative brand creator in the drinks industry​,” he said.

Shift in drinking habits

Bell believed that the trend of more people drinking at home and purchasing alcohol online has fuelled the success of DrinkWell, in addition to a growing focus on health.

“Consumers are becoming more motivated by healthier alternatives, so it is vital we continue to innovate and develop our product offering with this funding, in order to cater to this increasing demand​,” Bell added.

“When legislation inevitably changes to include nutritional information for alcohol on labels and menus, we want to be seen as the ‘go-to’ provider of lower-calorie alcohol. We believe that with this funding, we are in the strongest possible position to do so​.”

With more 75,000 customers throughout the UK, DrinkWell saw 50% year-on-year growth during the 2021/22 financial year.

Founded in 2015 by Tom Bell, the firm specialises in low calorie alcoholic drinks offering wines, beers and spirits. Each contains a lower proportion of sugar, carbohydrates and calories, the brand claims.

The Piattini Pinot Grigio, one of DrinkWell’s bestsellers, contains 86 calories per 125ml glass and 0g of sugar. Meanwhile, its Lean Brew IPA has 99 calories per 330ml can or bottle, with an ABV of 4.1%.

In other news, Carlsberg has reduced the ABV of its Danish Pilsner sold in the UK​​ in response to an increased duty on beer above 3.5%.