Brothers behind Borders vermouth product officially debut crowdfunder

A £100,000 crowdfunding bid has launched today to help catalyse the growth of a new vermouth product – including a dedicated facility in the Borders.

David and Dominic Tait are the brothers behind the drink, and have officially pushed the button on the “Put Your Money Where Vermouth Is” fundraiser.

The duo, who founded Tait Bros in 2019, are calling for investors to help raise the money to build a “centre for vermouth excellence” and sales operation.

The fully-licensed facility, which will include an “experimentation studio”, bar and tasting room, will also serve as a brand home for Valentian Vermouth.

Valentian Vermouth is billed as uniting Scottish craft distilling and Italian viticulture. Picture: Kirsty Anderson.

Tait Bros plans major expansion following completion of the crowdfunder, with investment in a sales team and up to eight new employees to help run the centre. The firm has previously said that the preferred location for the proposed facility is Melrose, at the foot of the Eildon Hills, which feature on the Valentian Vermouth bottle.

The product has this year topped up its list of stockists with names such as Montpeliers and Indigo Yard in Edinburgh, and Glasgow’s Bar Vini and Eusebi’s ­– where it features in the house Negroni. It addition to its Valentian Vermouth Rosso, which fuses Scottish new make malt spirit, Italian white wine and botanicals cultivated in both countries, new products are in the pipeline, including Valentian Vermouth Bianco and Valentian Vermouth Secco.

The crowdfunding campaign – through Crowdcube – enables investors to gain equity in Tait Bros by ploughing in up to £10,000 at a time.

From left: David and Dominic Tait, who founded Tait Bros in 2019. Picture: Kirsty Anderson.

Tait Bros is currently based in St Boswells in the Borders, an area once known as Valentia, the most northerly part of the Roman empire – and the inspiration for the brand’s name.

The brothers chose to launch the crowdfunder after studying the success of the likes of Innis & Gunn’s £3 million Beer Money campaign in 2019.

Dominic Tait, who manages Tait Bros’ operations, said: “This is a massively exciting development for Valentian Vermouth and undoubtedly the biggest step on our journey so far.”

Impact

He added that the firm is aiming to “put Scotland on the vermouth map”, while the nation “has been leading the way in malt whisky, premium gin and craft beers for years and we know vermouth can have the same impact – it is the next big thing in drinks”.

Brother David said Valentian Vermouth unites Scottish craft distilling and Italian viticulture, and stated that the latest investment will help take the brand to the next level.

“The vermouth and aperitif market in the UK has grown by 12 per cent per annum, so we know this is the perfect time to expand the business.

“We’ve enjoyed our success through strong wholesale backing, with three regional wholesalers and one national UK wholesaler, and have developed an online platform that enables us to sell direct to consumers.

“Our longer-term aim is to create a production facility in the Scottish Borders, and we are confident and excited in equal measure about this next stage in the route towards it.”

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