Cheers: Humble Grape Exceeds Crowdfunding Goal on Seedrs

The successful UK-based wine and events company Humble Grape surpassed its goal raising £250,500 in its Seedrs equity crowdfunding campaign. Continued overfunding aims to raise the £450,000-£500,000 needed for piloting a wine bar in the Shoreditch area of London, then opening four additional sites in the five years following.

“In a stylish and relaxed environment, customers will be able to discover Humble Grape wines. They will be able to buy bottles to take home (or cases to be delivered or stored in bond) or to drink on the premises offered with a menu of small plate artisan high-quality food,” the Seedrs campaign indicates. “After the pilot site we plan to have 4 sites within 5 years. Investors will have a stake in Humble Grape, the existing company. The retail premises will be part of this company. Because Humble Grape wines are purchased directly, the margins remain very profitable while at the same time retaining attractive prices for customers.”

Founded in 2009 by James Dawson “out of a desire to pursue his dreams of a life in the wine trade. [Dawson is] passionate about sharing the joys of artisan, small, family-owned vineyard wine with wine lovers from beginners to experts alike and strive to take them on a journey of learning and exploration by pushing their boundaries into frontiers yet unexplored.”   Wine Maker and now Operation Director Cameron Gordon joined Dawson in 2011 after having worked in the industry in Australia and Europe for 18 years.

Currently Humble Grape’s extensive portfolio includes of over 130 unique wines, directly imported from boutique, family-owned vineyards in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Australia and South Africa which are mainly available at tastings and dinners; a recent upgraded website will enable wines to be sold online eventually using apps for wine discovery, food matching and virtual cellar purchases.

Humble Grape will build on its exiting revenue streams of its regularly sold out monthly wine tastings, bi-monthly private client winemaker dinners, corporate events, and wine sales. According to their campaign, Humble Grape already enjoys enviable success in London with its existing private and corporate client-base which includes Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, ICAP, HFI, IBM, Dassault, SH Legal, Linklaters, DataArt and RLAM Monthly.

Dawson and Gordon will continue offering their high quality products at midrange price points, as well an ensuring their customers unpretentious wine experiences –such as their upcoming 24 April Wine Meets Tech event at Level39– in their planned Shoreditch wine bar.

According to Humble Grape’s campaign,

“Our aim is to democratise and demystify wine for all, through the development of a high-street brand.”

To achieve this, Humble Grape will employ “easy to use mobile apps that will enhance the client interaction with the brand and capitalise on the shift to mobile consumer spending. The experience delivered by the application will be highly curated and relevant to each individual and thus trusted more. The client experience will be continuous. From the retail premises to their living rooms, clients will be able to stay connected to Humble Grape using innovative apps. Functionality will also allow a seamless purchase and storage of wines in virtual cellars for those with little or less than ideal storage conditions. Connecting wine buyers directly to small vineyards and their winemakers strengthens the brand proposition and means vineyards spend less money on marketing and instead reinvest to make better quality wines. The idea is not to have the most high-tech wine business but to create a highly curated and high-touch customer experience with technology as both the enabler and connector to a previously under served sector.”