Two friends’ London Fields business has taken the hassle out of home brewing with a new product set to storm the market, after striking a lucrative deal with Dragon’s Den mogul Duncan Bannatyne.
Alex Dixon, 28, and Ralph Broadbent, 27, who operate from their Richmond Road headquarters, sparked the business tycoon’s interest when they appeared on the show to pitch Victor’s Drinks, a DYI kit which uses bag-in-box technology to brew cider or ale in a range of flavours.
The packets come ready filled with flavoured syrup to which the customer adds water and the supplied sachet of yeast before leaving at room temperature – the mixture reacts to create up to 20 pints of alcohol which can be transferred from box to glass in 10 days.
Alex said: “It’s all a natural process and as back to basics as it gets, throwing sugar, water and yeast together in a box and seeing what comes out.”
The name, Victor’s Drinks, was inspired by the idea of “victory” and the personal accomplishment gained from creating your own drink.
The dynamic pair, who also put on music festivals across the UK, met at university while on a ski trip and saw the growing demand for alcohol at parties.
The idea for Victor’s Drinks sparked when the boys saw a gap in the market for a product which wasn’t just catered towards devoted hobbyists with disposable money and time.
Alex said: “I used to homebrew as a student and there were loads of barriers to do it. You have to buy all the equipment up front and spend time cleaning it - as if there is any bacteria the brew will go off - and then you have to store the equipment somewhere when you’re finished.
“It wasn’t tailored to people who didn’t want to put in a big investment”.
Alex used to take his drinks to parties, and though people loved them, they didn’t want to try brewing themselves because of the high start-up costs and effort involved.
Now the kits are going from strength to strength as major retailers snap up orders.
Alex said: “I think Dragon’s Den was quite a big highlight for us and launching a new range of different flavours was really exciting.
“We are lucky enough to have our HQ right on the park - London Fields is the best meeting room ever and it’s brilliant to see lots of other creative young start-ups doing the same thing as us Thankfully cider is boardroom-acceptable in Hackney!”
n Victor’s Drinks are available to buy online and in selected stockists for £24.99. For more information, visit victorsdrinks.com.
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