🚀 Your Weekly Slice of UK Consumer Startups

Arrowtown is the result of our quest to find an RTD fit for the 21st Century: big on flavour, better for you and big on impact. We have a range of all natural vodka sodas that are a clean and lighter alternative to traditional alcohol.

The brand was inspired by my brother Rob's travels. He was in a quaint mining village in New Zealand called Arrowtown when he first tried these light, low sugar spirit mixers that still tasted great. He immediately told me we need to start our own in the UK, so when he returned we got to work as I finished my degree. A few months after graduating we finally launched and thankfully have learnt a lot since then.

In a word: surreal. It has been amazing for us as two of the first stadiums we launched in were Anfield and Twickenham, two of the most iconic in the country, so we jumped straight into the deep end. Drinking your own brand in an occasion like that is hard to beat.

I think stadiums are perfect for RTDs as a lot of their drinks offerings have not evolved for decades. With stadiums becoming multi use venues for concerts and women's sport on the rise, serving the same old beer and wine does not cut it anymore. We have been lucky to work with some really forward thinking operators that want to champion the RTD category and us as an independent, versatile and modern challenger brand.

Tricky question but firstly I think you should always be looking to tweak and refine your packaging and visual identity within reason. If you have recurring feedback that needs addressing or a change in opportunity, that is your time to jump on it.

Then my advice would be if you are going to go for it, go all in. A rebrand is a monumental body of work and not cheap, so if you are going through that process, really make sure you address all the concerns you have to make sure you come away with a crystal clear proposition.

When we started ours, absolutely everything was on the table, even a name change. Try your best to remove all sentimentality and focus objectively on what your customers want and what you need to do to achieve your long term goals. In for a penny in for a pound.

This is important to us on a personal level as Rob and I grew up on the Sussex coast so always had a strong affinity with the ocean and coastal living. We spent our childhoods at the local pebbly beaches and swimming in the sea. Rob then studied Business and the Environment at uni, so learnt how business can be used as a force for good.

Being inspired by the great purpose driven brands like Toms and Finisterre, we knew this was a non negotiable for us and had to be placed at the core of the brand from the off. We have an amazing partner in Ocean Co that make it all possible.

2026 is going to be our biggest year yet which is really exciting. It is no longer just myself and Rob so we are looking forward to a full year with a growing and talented team. We have got some big listings up our sleeve, new products in the works and a lot more impact to make.

Rob and I have real belief that the opportunity for the brand is massive and it feels like we have the building blocks in place. Now is the time to really push on with RTDs continuing to boom. Watch this space.