Last Sunday, our Founder, Jo Hilditch took to the Den to find out if she could find the right investor and partner amongst the well-known Dragons in her quest to expand British Cassis.
Pitching for £50k in return for 10% of the British Cassis business, Jo’s cocktails went down a storm and she had soon won the approval of Deborah Meaden, Sarah Wilkinson and Peter Jones. And whilst he didn’t make a formal offer, it was clear that Nick Jenkins took a liking to the products too, as he drank both his own Raspberry Daquiri and Touker Suleyman’s too.
Jo was thrilled at the positive response to her brand and range of products but when push came to shove, the stakes were simply too high and Jo decided to turn down all three offers.
Jo comments: “Going into the Den was a fantastic, if a little daunting, experience and something I am pleased to have done. I went in there looking for an opportunity that suited my personal business needs, and whilst I was sorely tempted to take one of the offers, I knew I needed to keep a level head and do what’s best for the brand. Now my focus is on growing the business and continuing to bring out great quality products that our customers love to drink.”
Since filming the programme in March, Jo has felt an even greater sense of confidence in her brand and has big ideas for the company. Celebrating the brand’s ten year anniversary this year, so far Jo has launched a Limited Edition British Mure, won two gold stars at the 2015 Great Taste awards and plans to launch more new products in the very near future.
If you have been inspired to make your own Raspberry Daquiri or any of the other cocktails shown at home, please take a look at our newly updated recipe page. And do let us know what you think of them!
If you missed the show last Sunday, you can view it on BBC Iplayer here (the last 15 minutes).
Jo is always looking for more farm shops, independent wine retailers and specialist outlets across the UK where she can sell her products, so if you would like to request a sample or two, please contact Briony Davies on 01544 340 241 or email info@britishcassis.co.uk.