The Drinks Bakery has sealed a seven-figure listing deal with Waitrose, which will see the company’s range of savoury snacks stocked at the deli counters of 230 stores across the UK; as well as online.
The deal will more than double the size of the Scottish company and enable further expansion, with Waitrose joining an growing list of stockists, including Selfridges, Liberty of London and Claridge’s Hotel.
The company also sells across Europe, Canada, the US and UAE.
Established in 2016 by Edinburgh entrepreneur Andy Murray, The Drinks Bakery offers four flavours of savoury biscuits, flavour-profiled to match different drinks.
Murray said: “We’ve been working hard to grow the brand over the last few years and this news is a massive step-change for the business.
“My vision in founding this company was to raise the bar on the common savoury snack and create thoughtful and delicious snacks to match and complement different drinks, from wine and whisky to gin and craft beer, to mention just a few.”
The brand got a boost when Dragons’ Den stalwarts Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones both took a share of the business in 2018.
Meaden said: “I always knew that Andy’s passion and vision would attract the best retailers - Drinks Biscuits are fabulous products and I have no doubt that they will quickly become a favourite among discerning Waitrose customers.”
Waitrose buyer Michelle Slade added: “We are very excited to be partnering with The Drinks Bakery to offer our customers the eye-catching full range of drinks-paired snacks Andy has created.”
Separately, tablet producer Mrs Tilly’s is celebrating a hat-trick of contract wins with Canadian supermarket chains, which will now launch its tablet across the country later this month.
Following a successful trial, the Larbert-based company has secured shelf space in more than 400 Walmart, Save on Foods and Freshco stores.
Managing director Blair Paterson said, “It is a well-known fact that Canada and Scotland have deep rooted historical family connections, with around five million Canadians claiming Scottish ancestry.
“We felt that there was a fantastic opportunity for us to introduce our famous tablet to a market with such a genuine and long-standing affinity for Scotland and we look forward to building on this initial success over the next few years as the Mrs Tilly’s brand becomes more established in Canada.”
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