Wine entrepreneurs selling a stake in success

Two Birmingham entrepreneurs are determined to put Indian wine on the global map, as their ambitious crowdfunding campaign raises thousands of pounds.

Soul Tree Wine, run by Melvin D'Souza and Alok Mathur, is hoping to raise £350,000 to aid its export and growth efforts. The pair have turned to CrowdCube, a website where start-ups and business projects pitch for funding, in an online version of Dragon's Den.

To date, investors from the Midlands and around the world have contributed over £170,000 – in return for a share of the success should the wine come up trumps.

Anyone may pledge an amount in exchange for a stake in the business, and so far the highest cash injection has come in at £24,000.

Alok Mathur, co-founder of Soul Tree Wine, explained:

"The funds will help us scale up to meet growing demand. We are very excited by the response we have got through the crowdfunding process so far. Our investor community already includes a great mix of people from industry stalwarts to wine experts, and we are very confident that with their combined support we can really take Soul Tree places and put Indian wine on the map."

Soul Tree Wine is already the biggest selling Indian wine in the UK, and is also exported to France and Germany. A new deal announced in October saw the company set to break into the United States market.

The company, based in Birmingham's Warwick Road, imports wine from the Nashik Valley, an area known as ‘The Wine Capital of India', due to its high density of vineyards.

The region's unique climate and geography allow a range of grape varieties to flourish, resulting in red, white and rosé wines that are beginning to win international awards.

Soul Tree wines are served at several local restaurants including Purnell's and Pushkar. They are sold at Connolly's and Cellar Door, and were also showcased to the public this September at Birmingham Independent Food Fair.

Current investors include a former senior executive at Diageo plc, a Master of Wine, a former Booz & Co consultant, and a Senior Judge at the International Wine Challenge.

Although many of the donations are coming from London and the South East, the owners are confident that Birmingham and the Midlands also have a part to play in making this local business a success on the international stage.

To find out more, or to invest in Soul Tree Wines, visit the CrowdCube site here.  

Author: ahmed