Agua de Madre, the revolutionary new beverage that’s taking the low alcohol category by storm, today launches its crowdfunding campaign to raise £250,000 to support its growth.
Agua de Madre was founded in 2017 by restaurant entrepreneur Sam Clark, who founded Moro, and Nicola Hart. Valued at £1.75m, the business is fundraising through Crowdcube to expand its production facilities, ramp up marketing and sales activities and create new products and flavours to meet growing demand.
Agua de Madre is named after a live mother culture originating in Mexico more than 2,000 years ago. It’s a healthy ‘live’ drink, a water kefir which is a unique, fermented probiotic beverage (1.2% abv). This low alcohol, organic and vegan, naturally fermented, sparkling and low sugar drink sits at the forefront of a new and expanding category of mindful drinking.
Sales of low alcohol drinks are at a record high, rising ten fold since 2009 with Wine and Spirit Trade Association predicting healthy growth up to 2022. Agua de Madre positions itself at the centre of multiple categories: premium, low-alc, health and live mixers opening numerous growth opportunities and combined with this the global kefir market is forecast to grow to $2.89 billion by 2024.
Launched into restaurants and retail in 2019, Agua de Madre is currently stocked in Planet Organic, Farmdrop, Granger & Co, Hemsley & Hemsley @ Selfridges & Co., and Brunswick House. Available in Original and Pomegranate & Hibiscus, Agua de Madre launched with a 33 cl and 50cl and it’s now taking on the sparkling wine market with its new 75cl product, as well as the 33cl grab and go bottle with the cool new twist off and crown cap.
At launch the founders invested in their own tap room fermentary which is the only one in London and it’s housed within the railway arches in Hackney Central. This is the home of Agua de Madre and it’s where the brand showcases the drink and fermenting vessels and holds regular Madre Hours to increase the number of Madres and Padres in the community.
Agua de Madre is already creating talkability with advocates of the brand including India Knight and Melissa Hemsley and has been featured in numerous media titles including Vogue, Wallpaper, Living etc and Time Out.
Nicola Hart, co-founder Agua de Madre, comments:
“Agua de Madre sits at the forefront of the mindful movement, as consumers are growing ever more conscious of their choices when it comes to drink. We aim to bridge the gap between the high end, premium drinks market and the health and wellbeing industry, offering an ideal invigorator that is delicious, naturally good for your gut and low in sugar.”
“We are hugely excited to launch our crowdfunding campaign today which will enable us to grow the brand, expanding production and boosting marketing activities, while bringing to market more products that use fermentation and probiotics. We are calling for Madres and Padres to invest in the business and be part of our journey.”
Sam Clark, co-founder Agua de Madre, comments:
“We see huge potential for Agua de Madre within the restaurant and retail market. Nowadays people are looking to drink less alcohol, but they want something interesting and don’t want to compromise on aroma, taste and texture – we believe our product is unique in this category.”
A dedication to the communities that mothers have built around the world throughout history, the name Agua de Madres comes from the ‘mother’ culture used in the fermentation process. Through the fundraise, they are looking to build a community of Madres and Padres, supporters of the drink and the values behind it.
