Food and drink most popular sector says crowdfunding expert

Food and drink is popular among “armchair investors” because owning a stake in brands that are stocked in bars and restaurants can “sound impressive,” according to Equity crowdfunding site Crowdcube and crowdfunded spirit brand Kamm & Sons.

“Food and drink is our most popular sector. With any product, if people can understand it, they will invest. Investing in vodka and gin is very popular,” Crowdcube chief marketing officer and co-founder Luke Lang told last week’s Spirit Summit, organised by the Publican's Morning Advertiser, in Shoreditch, London.

“There are some great companies out there seeking investment, but what sounds better? ‘I’ve invested in some sandbags’ or ‘I’ve invested in this drinks brand’,” said Alex Kammerling, creator of the British aperitif Kamm & Sons – “a bittersweet botanical spirit made in a similar way to gin” which gained funding via Crowdcube.

“Crowdfunding is not just useful for the capital. It is also useful for the marketing effect. If you have 100,000 people investing in your business they will tell everyone what it is they’re investing in,” said Lang.

“One of the positives is that you only gain people who are keen on your business and then they all become ambassadors for your brand,” added Kammerling.