Glaswegian brand Panther Milk is set for take-off as creator Paul Crawford appears on BBC Dragons' Den tonight, in order to land a huge investment from the multi-millionaire panel.
But Paul is not worried about the outcome of the show, as he sets his sights on worldwide recognition for his ready-to-drink vegan cocktail products.
Paul spoke to Glasgow Live earlier this week to discuss his thoughts about going on the show, and how he decided to take a leap of faith into showbiz.
READ MORE: Line of Duty star Martin Compston shares 'wee belter' snaps for wife's birthday
Speaking to Glasgow Live, Paul said: "Actually, it wasn’t anything that I’d ever thought about doing to be honest! The approach came through our website, I got an enquiry saying ‘Would you be interested in applying for the Dragons’ Den?’.
“So, at that point in the business, I was looking at doing a Crowdfunder to raise a bit of equity for Panther Milk, and then the interest from the BBC occurred, so I just thought, in the words of old Sir Alex Ferguson - ‘If an opportunity presents itself, you should grab it with both hands’!
“So I just decided to go for it, and the assistant producer was a guy from Aberdeen that had been in Glasgow and knew what my original business, the Sub Club, was all about.
“He liked the brand and everything, so I just decided why not? I may as well just go for it, and here we are.”
Paul also spoke about the confidence behind the chance he took to create Panther Milk, which has become a local delicacy in the Glasgow area.
Paul continued: "I suppose the confidence came from the pop-up that we done.
"Just after I opened the Sub Club in Glasgow, I had done a little pop-up in what is now Bar Tabac, it was a friend of mine, Fergus, who owns Chinaskis, and he had just bought over what was the old Bar 10.
"Fergus showed me this wee corner bit in the back of the bar, and asked 'What should I do with this area?', so I suggested my wee pop-up.
"I had this idea for a while as when I owned the Sub Club, we used to do these club events in Barcelona, so the inspiration for the drink came from this Spanish cocktail called 'Leche De Pantera’, translated into Panther Milk.
"Myself, the DJ’s and the promoters all went home and told everyone about this amazing drink that we had tried while we were in Spain.
"We went back to the same bar the next year it was packed full of Glaswegians, all drinking this 'Leche De Pantera’ .
“It was at that point that I decided I would open a pop-up bar in Glasgow, and it just took off from there."
Paul was expecting the pop-up event to last no more than three months, but it ended up staying in the bar for four-and-a-half years, until the space was eventually sold.
Paul said: "There become a sort of cult following to the brand, and Vice magazine even done a feature on it, which catapulted it even futher.
"Also, when lockdown happened, I had been made redundant so I had this idea of developing Panther Milk into a proper drinks brand.
"We initially were selling Panther Milk through a bottle-drop service during the pandemic, and in the first weekend we started, we sold 160 bottles of the stuff, which told me the demand in Glasgow and beyond was definitely there.
"It gave me the confidence to try and develop it even further, and here we are!"
Speaking on the future of the brand after the episode of BBC Dragons' Den, Paul was optimistic despite the possible outcomes from the investors on the show - although all is to be revealed tonight, as Paul wouldn't give away any spoilers!
Paul added: "I just really want to use the Dragons' Den episode as a bit of a springboard for the brand.
"We're looking at quite a lot of stuff, getting our brand strategy all in place as well.
"We'll be looking to take some more investments around May/June time, and we have got quite a lot of activity in different festivals planned for this year too, like vegan food and drink festivals."
When asked about a cameo appearance at Glasgow's TRNSMT festival, Paul said: "Oh I don't know, I'd hope so!
"We'd fit in well at TRNSMT with the food stalls and the demand for a product like ours at a local gig would be huge, so it's one of the festivals we are applying for, hoping for the best."
Paul also explained what his aims are for the company as a whole, saying: "One of my top aims is to become one of the UK's top vegan ready-to-drink brands, that's my ambition.
"I want to take it nationally, then who knows? I'm already getting some enquiries about potentially exporting and stuff like that, so who knows what the future holds?"
You can watch Paul pitch for a money-making investment from the multi-millionaires on BBC's Dragons' Den on Thursday, March 24, at 8pm on BBC One.
