Pollen Projects, the UK non-alc spirits firm set up by Seedlip founder Ben Branson, has embarked on a crowdfunding drive.
The company wants to raise £2m ($2.6m) and has secured £1.4m of the funds.
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Branson formed Pollen Projects in 2023 and, alongside former Seedlip COO Emma Wykes, has launched Seasn cocktail bitters and Sylva, a brand of non-alcoholic spirits made from grain and wood.
Seasn is on sale in six markets including the UK, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the US.
Pollen Projects said the funds would be used on marketing and production. The company is planning to launch a 100ml version of its bitters and wants. It is also lining up a production facility for Sylva in the US.
“The second Sylva distillery and maturation lab will open in upstate New York in the Hudson Valley in early 2026,” Branson told Just Drinks. “The first is located in the UK in the Colne Valley on the Suffolk border [in eastern England]. This is where all three Sylva releases including the current – Sylva Orchard have been produced.”
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By GlobalDataPollen Projects is using crowdfunding platform Republic for the campaign. It marks the company’s second raise following a pre-revenue seed round in January 2024.
Branson said the business has turned over “more than £300,000” since it was launched, adding it “is not yet profitable and aims to accelerate growth next year with this latest raise”.
After setting up non-alcoholic business Seedlip in 2014, Branson sold a majority stake to Diageo five years later.
Speaking at the Just Drinks Presents: Innovation in Non-Alcoholic Beverages 2025 conference in London in September, he said non-alcoholic spirits are no longer seen as a niche alternative.
“The way we live our lives has dramatically changed and our social lives are going to change as the non-alcoholic category continues to grow. If we don’t build fantastic brands with high-quality liquids, we will let down the consumer,” he said.
