This will include the launch of a dedicated, multinational cleantech packaging business arm for wine and other drinks, and that will operate alongside their sustainable wine wholesale business. It will also include production investments in Australia and the USA, with the launch of staffed offices in these markets too.
The investment round was led by existing investor and advisor Ryan Howsam, and joined by new strategic investors Giles Redpath and Simon Mizzi. In addition to being Garçon Wines’ earliest investor, Ryan Howsam is the founder and chairman of The Staysure Group, the largest travel insurers, as well as being a leading UK investor and business mentor. He is also the CEO and majority owner of the Legends Tour, marking the first time that an individual has a controlling stake and leadership role in a major professional golf tour.
Giles Redpath is CEO and founder of Hive Energy Limited, with a personal mission to invest capital to reduce climate change. Simon Mizzi is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and shareholder in Coca-Cola Malta bottling and distribution. Combined with existing strategic investor and advisor, FMCG leader Rodrigo Wickbold, the investors bring tactical value to the company and a shared drive to use innovation to support better planetary health. Slashing carbon footprint is at the core of the company’s mission to enable a better future for the wine industry through cleantech packaging innovation and sustainable wine brands.
Santiago Navarro, Garçon Wines CEO, commented, “We are highly motivated by the opportunities that will be unlocked by securing this investment to further fuel our company’s accelerating growth. The timing is also right, as we believe that the post COVID-19 ‘build back better’ movement will be the optimal opportunity on which to deploy this funding to generate traction. We are grateful to Ryan Howsam for his continued bullish belief in our success and potential, and his continued mentorship of me and advice to the company. This round will also see Ryan become, alongside myself, a person with significant control in the company.
We are also motivated to have Giles Redpath and Simon Mizzi join this round. Giles is another formidable, serial entrepreneur whose success in clean energy across a growing number of countries and his backing of circular economy businesses is highly important and relevant to us. Furthermore, Simon’s experience in franchising, retailing, and start-ups brings benefits that will allow our company to start growing revenues across a larger part of the world of wine, sooner. This was a fast-track raise following Victoria Kwok joining us on secondment from McKinsey to lead our business planning and plans activation. It will also be the first of two investment rounds, with a larger round later this year to further accelerate our growth.”
The cornerstone of the company, their game-changing, innovative bottles, have huge industry potential to significantly slash supply chain inefficiencies and carbon emissions. This positive butterfly effect from the groundbreaking bottles will create a sizeable opportunity for the soon-to-launch cleantech packaging arm to scale through collaborations with world-leading drinks companies, continuing with wine but expanding beyond this. At the same time, the funding will allow the business to focus on firmly establishing Garçon Wines as a sustainable wine wholesaler and brand owner, retailing and delivering wines in more efficient, planet-friendly packaging. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, flat wine bottle volume grew by more than 20 times in 2020.
In addition to the UK and ‘Old World wine’ Europe, the company’s expansion focus will be on the USA and Australia. This new investment will be used to build the London-based team to support their UK and European growth, and to expand production footprint with bottle production and contract packing in the USA and Australia. These developments, together with newly staffed local offices, will cater to growing domestic demand for their multi award-winning format in these main wine markets.
