Latest news with #BurntFaith
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Burnt Faith launches Crowdcube funding push
Burnt Faith, the UK brandy business, is looking to raise funds through Crowdcube to invest in inventory and distribution. The company, set up in 2021, principally sells in the UK but, in recent months, has begun shipping to India. Speaking to Just Drinks, Burnt Faith founder Simon Wright said the Crowdcube push could be used to support a potential entry into the US. 'As part of the raise, if we do better than expected, then we will be looking at pushing an agreement with a distillery out in the US for access to a brandy out there,' Wright said. 'One of the things that we would do if we raised a good amount would be to expedite the inroads into that. At the moment, it's just a project there waiting on hold until we get some funds to support it, really.' Wright declined to put a potential timetable on a US launch. 'I wouldn't want to put anything down on paper in terms of 'we'll be launching in 2026' because it is depending [on the funding round] but there's an opportunity there for us in the future if we can raise the funds for it." He refused to be drawn on the amount Burnt Faith is looking to raise through the Crowdcube campaign, citing changes in the platform's disclosure policy. Last year, Burnt Faith, based in north-east London, raised £2m ($2.7m). Early investors have included Keith Greggor, the former co-owner of Anchor Brewing and once a shareholder in Skyy Spirits. The round valued Burnt Faith at £4.3m. In Burnt Faith's 2024/25 financial year, the company generated revenue of around £600,000, compared to £120,000 a year earlier. It is forecasting revenue of approximately £1.4m in its current 2025/26 financial year, Wright said. The business is moving into the RTD category, launching two products in the UK. 'These RTDs are another step in breaking down barriers to brandy. We want consumers to try new and explorative drinks but sometimes this needs to be in a format that encourages trial,' Wright said. The drinks – a Brandy & Apple variant and a Brandy & Ginger SKU – are 6.2% abv and have an RRP of £3.50. Talks with potential retail stockists are ongoing. Despite the range of spirit-based RTDs on sale in UK retailers, Wright believes Burnt Faith's products can prosper. 'I think talking to retailers, when it comes to spirit-based RTDs, they want the best from each category. Brandy as a liquid works really, really well in an RTD because the liquid so versatile," he said. "There hasn't been a premium brand anyway in the brandy category that's done an RTD yet. Hopefully by doing that, it'll bring some fresh life into the category because that's the problem with brandy, right? It's a bit staid and a bit traditional. Changing the format and putting brandy in different format will hopefully have quite a lot of appeal.' "Burnt Faith launches Crowdcube funding push" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Forbes
25-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Burnt Faith And Black Cactus On Making Brandy, And BBQ, Cool Again
Black Cactus BBQ served at Burnt Faith brandy house in Walthamstow, London Brandy isn't having a moment in the UK—not yet. But if it's ever going to, it'll be because of a business like Burnt Faith. Tucked behind industrial estates in Walthamstow, this striking London distillery doesn't feel like a traditional home for brandy. There's a DJ in the courtyard. There are Negroni-style cocktails on the menu. There's even smoked short rib pastrami spilling out of a croissant. It's the kind of brandy house that makes you want to love brandy, and that's exactly the point. 'Brandy is undervalued,' says founder Simon Wright. 'It's sweet, fruity, accessible—but people just don't think about it. That's where we come in.' Brandy is the third largest spirits category globally. In the UK, it's mostly overlooked; riddled with Cognac's old-world cachet, or left gathering dust on backbars. But Wright, who previously launched Hawkes Cider (sold to BrewDog), sees a bigger picture. One where the fundamentals of Cognac—double distillation, long ageing, fruit-driven complexity—can be unshackled from French regulation and reinvented for a modern audience. 'I didn't want to build another safe brand,' he tells me. 'I wanted to take another leap of faith.' That leap is literal. Burnt Faith, named for the transformation inherent in both distillation and belief, is a brand that torches tradition with purpose. 'Together, it's about taking risks, torching tradition, and believing in something better,' says Wright. The name also nods to place: 'The word 'brandy' comes from the Dutch translation of 'burnt wine'. And the building used to be a Pentecostal Church before we moved in.' But Burnt Faith isn't just trying to make brandy cool again. It's trying to make it relevant — not just for sipping neat, but for mixing, reimagining, and, as I found out, pairing shockingly well with barbecue. Burnt Faith Brandy House in Walthamstow, London As an American—and a self-confessed snob when it comes to smoked meat—I didn't expect to find the best brisket I've had in London in such an environment, but I did. And it wasn't a pop-up gimmick. It was Black Cactus BBQ, the full-time food partner inside Burnt Faith, and undoubtedly one of the most exciting live-fire operations in the UK. 'Sometimes things work which perhaps shouldn't, on paper,' says Wright. 'But both brandy and barbecue are about fire, time, and transformation. There's something human about them. We wanted to tap into that—a bit raw, a bit ritualistic, and totally memorable.' Black Cactus began far from London, and even further from fine dining. Matt Kears and Josh Alcock, its founders, were both working construction jobs when they started experimenting with brisket. 'I was just in search of creating something unique,' says Kears. 'There was nothing like it in our hometown. Developing the product, then hearing the feedback—that was enough to keep me smoking.' At first, they sold meat vacuum-packed to a WhatsApp group of Hemel Hempstead locals. 'Seven days a week for three years,' Kears says. 'We were hitting early markets in London, bombing back to jump on building sites, then heading to Mum's bungalow to start prep for the weekend services.' Black Cactus' founders, Matt Kears and Josh Alcock Eventually, they bought a truck and committed full-time—a decision made not out of luxury, but necessity. 'Trying to sell a craft product to the wrong demographic... you will fail,' says Kears. 'If the customer won't pay, you will. With zero sales.' That grit, and the quality behind it, is what caught Wright's attention. Burnt Faith was looking for a food partner who could match its ethos. 'They live and breathe barbecue, just like we live and breathe brandy,' he says. 'It wasn't just about food, it was Josh and Matt as people. We knew we had something.' The duo's previously-mentioned, fan-favorite smoked short rib pastrami croissant—indulgent, ridiculous, perfect—was a natural fit. 'It's surprising, aesthetically pleasing, elegant, and most importantly, luscious,' says Kears. 'It pairs perfectly with the Burnt Faith cocktails and the space.' They're not a one-dish wonder, either. The Burnt Faith menu reads like a love letter to the premiumisation of BBQ: 14-hour smoked Miguel Vergara brisket, Berkshire pork belly burnt ends, and spice-loaded hot links served straight from the pit. Everything, exceptionally, pushed to its most flavorful limit. Black Cactus' BBQ croissant It's the kind of high-low magic that both teams excel at: building something serious, but never self-serious. And both teams are building with intention. To date, Burnt Faith has raised over £2 million [$2.7 million] in investment, designed its own stills, and launched three knockout brandys, one triple sec, and two liqueurs—coffee and elderflower, respectively. 'I want Burnt Faith to be global,' says Wright. 'And the effort this takes is monumental.' For Black Cactus, building a business has required a lot of personal risk. 'We've gambled mortgage money on services, taken out loans, shuffled money between credit cards, and pushed every penny into the dream,' says Kears. 'All while people closest to you are telling you to stop. You've got to want it—more than anything.' Even a year into going full-time, they're learning on the fly. 'Going from construction to running a food business is a huge jump,' Kears admits. 'We didn't originally understand the true cost of things—labor, VAT, staff costs. That nearly sank us.' But what they've built now is working commercially, creatively, and collaboratively. 'Simon understands that what we do is a labor of love,' says Kears. 'He lets us call the shots and gives us full creative freedom. It's rare to find someone who believes in what we do as much as we do.' Wright feels the same. 'We're helping create a full sensory experience together,' he says. 'We push each other, and that makes the collaboration better.' A bottle of Burnt Faith brandy What's next? For Burnt Faith, more liquids, more reach, and more cultural relevance. 'It's about scaling without losing our soul,' says Wright. 'We'd love to work with the Black Cactus team on more sites, too. Watch this space.' For Black Cactus? 'All of the above,' says Kears. 'We're always chasing that insane first bite. We're aiming high. Always chasing that first UK BBQ Michelin star, which would mean bricks and mortar.' Until then, the mission remains simple: to show people what they've been missing—in barbecue, in brandy, and the faith that builds brilliant business.
