Hacien Tequila is considering adding new markets to its roster next year, including the UAE, following investment from Slingsby Gin founder Mike Carthy.
The business announced Carthy's backing of the business earlier this week. The exact value of the cash injection was not disclosed.
Hacien Tequila, which was founded in Leeds in 2019 by co-founders Seb Francis and Jordan Myers, exclusively produces flavoured agave Tequila. Its main market is the UK.
Speaking to Just Drinks, Francis said the group is looking to expand into new international markets such as the UAE and Europe next year.
Francis said: “High on our agenda for next year would be the UAE, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi specifically. We’re also considering a few options in mainland Europe, and then potentially a little bit further afield in Asia Pacific but still deciding on that.
“We expect to be working and operating in another three to five international territories by the end of next year.”
He also spoke about the US Tequila market, which he said is the “golden goose for a lot of people”.
He added: “That absolutely is one place that we'd like to tackle at one point. We just need to make sure that the timing is right, and we don't go too soon.
“We think we've got a strong USP, and we've got strong products. But there's quite a few bits for us to figure out in our home territories first, before jumping over to the States.”
Francis said the recent money from Carthy would fuel its plans for expansion into new markets, as well as support continued growth in the UK on-trade and enable more of a focus in the off-trade channel next year.
“Mike’s investment is part of a fundraising round that’s still ongoing. With the funds that we've taken from him and other funds that are coming onboard, we’re looking at continued growth in UK on-trade specifically. That means getting more venues and doing more activations to ultimately increase that rate of sale.
“For now, our focus is the on-trade. We've got about 350 distribution points in the UK, and we’d like to at least double that by the end of next year so we can push to 700 plus distribution points.”
He added: “Going into next year, we’re also looking at the off-trade sector and retail and ideally aiming to sign one of the major supermarkets in 2026.”
Carthy, who retains his joint ownership of Slingsby Gin, has now joined the Hacien Tequila business as a shareholder and will take on an official position on the advisory board.
Speaking on the investment, Francis said: “I was looking for people who'd worked in the premium spirit sector, and quite specifically, the premium flavoured spirit sector. Mike is based in Harrogate, and we're based in Leeds, so we’re just down the road from one another.”
On the back of the latest investment, Francis confirmed the group would also look to raise £1.5m ($1.4m) in a crowdfunding campaign in 2026.
“Next year, we're looking to looking at a crowdfunding campaign. It's highly likely we'll be launching on Crowdcube in February.
“Our target is likely going to be around £1.5m, but we’re just finalising numbers now. The plan is to look at the wider market and see who wants to get involved in our journey and support the brand.”
