SOFI Spritz Equity Crowdfund Campaign

Raising Capital for a Sparkling Idea

Shark Tank success story SOFI Spritz seek everyday Aussie investors to stir up the market

Shark Tank success and Australia's leading ready-to-serve-cocktail SOFI Spritz, announced today it's inviting everyday Aussies to invest and own a stake in the homegrown alcohol startup for as little as $250.

Kicking off its first equity crowdfunding campaign with Equitise, SOFI Spritz is looking to raise up to $1 million and is on track to serve over 2 million cocktails this year, with 50% growth year on year and plans to accelerate this growth rate with the funds from the capital raise.

SOFI Spritz is well-known for pressure testing its all-natural, Italian-inspired business idea and securing investment on Channel 10's Shark Tank in 2016. The brand received offers from four of the sharks and accepted a joint offer at the asking price from Glen Richards and Steve Baxter, who remain as close advisors to Founder and CEO Tom Maclean and have helped elevate the brand to a national scale.

From humble beginnings at The Bondi Farmers Markets in 2013, SOFI Spritz has scaled and diversified its business through raising capital on Pozible - a rewards-based crowdfunding platform, after closing three successful campaigns in 2014, 2015 and 2018. With the backing of the crowd already, SOFI has now turned to equity crowdfunding, wanting to give their investors more for their dollar. Alongside a stake in the business, shareholders will receive additional benefits including investor discounts and exclusive access to new releases.

Winner of The Best Innovation Award at the Australian Drinks Awards in 2017, SOFI Spritz has gone from strength to strength, to become a major player in the ready-to-serve alcohol market. Featuring in over 2,000 locations, including securing national ranging with leading bottle shops Dan Murphys, BWS, Vintage Cellars and First Choice.

Focussed on new product development and marketing innovative alcoholic beverages that address the unmet needs of a significant market segment, SOFI Spritz launched its cocktail cans at festivals, testing them for the first time at Groovin' the Moo, The End Of The Line and Falls Festivals with a great response. The White Peach & Ginger can is now available at 30,000 feet on Virgin Australia flights which carry approximately 4.5 million passengers per year.

Founder of SOFI Spritz Tom Maclean identified a $500 million market opportunity in the ready-made drinks category and has begun putting plans in place to continue the business's rapid growth at home and overseas. The export journey has only just begun with shipments sent to local markets in the South Pacific last year, with plans to further penetrate the global export market in 2020.

"SOFI is a genuine Australian start-up, with global ambitions and a vision to become the #1 drink of choice for the casual Aperitivo occasion. To help realise that vision, having built a loyal and passionate fan base through rewards-based crowdfunding in the past, it felt right for SOFI to launch an Equity Crowdfunding campaign," said Maclean. "The crowdfunding capital raised will go towards introducing new product lines, growing the sales team, investment into significantly increasing awareness and building trial, funding the development of innovation and realising the global vision to develop export opportunities," he said. SOFI Spritz are specialists in new product development and designing products that resonate with its audience, primarily millennial consumers, with a core audience of females between 20-34 years old. What sets them apart from others, is that they are 100% Australian owned and only use natural ingredients, with no added sugar, addressing the ever-growing health conscious market.

The business recently looked into the growth market of on premise strategy, trialling SOFI Spritz cocktail kegs at Bondi's Bucket List which exceeded the venues expectations, selling over $120,000 worth of SOFI cocktails on tap and achieved a GP margin of almost 90%. In the coming months, the business will begin locking in new venues to trial its cocktail kegs which will diversify not only its revenue stream, but on premise offerings. Co-founder of Equitise, Chris Gilbert says it's SOFI Spritz's ability to resonate with its audience that makes this such an exciting crowdfund. "A successful equity crowdfund is always measured by how much the crowd gets behind a product. With SOFI Spritz they've had terrific success in crowdfunding, growing a loyal consumer following as well as being a much-loved drink of choice amongst a millennial following," said Gilbert. "With such an engaged customer base, we're hoping to see great results for Tom and his team from SOFI Spritz. They've set up a terrific Aussie home-grown business that is one to watch and get in on the ground level," said Gilbert. The Italian Aperitivo inspired cocktails are made with a blend of premium Australian wine, citrus, herbal extracts and sparkling water. SOFI has a core range of 3 cocktails, which are available in bottles, cans and kegs for cocktails on tap.

Review: Really enjoyed these convenient can mixers, with some refreshing tastes, they will be perfect for spring carnival and summer bbqs for a bit of variety.