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š Your Weekly Slice of UK Consumer Startups #24
The 60-second pitch that landed this startup Ā£500K at The Beverage Forum š°
The Startup Slice
October 12, 2025 ā¢ Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Hey š
This week we were at The Beverage Forum Europe. The iconic US event made its European debut, bringing together founders, investors, and retail leaders from Sainsburyās, Tesco, Holland & Barrett, Sprouts and more.
Weāve rounded up the key takeaways from the forum, plus this weekās biggest brand moves, from Mother Rootās Dragonsā Den win to Botivoās new listing at Billās, and All Things Butterās Ā£2M raise.
š± From the Feed
 š¤ Sofia MirĆ³ - Sans GabarrĆ³, Co-Founder of Libertine Blends, mid-pitch at The Beverage Forum. | š Mother Root secures investment from Steven Bartlett: On last weekās Dragonsā Den, founder & COO Bethan Higson and Alice Galsworthy landed Ā£90K for 5%. With 400% YoY growth, Mother Rootās next chapter is just getting started. š° Pitch Slam at The Beverage Forum: 8 startups, 60 seconds each, and Ā£500K in retail, e-commerce, and growth support on the line. Tequila Flora took home the win with their smooth, plant-based cream liqueurs made with premium tequila and natural flavours. š All Things Butter raise Ā£2M: The dairy challenger raises Ā£2M to fuel NPD, grow UK distribution, and expand into the US and Middle East. Founded by chef Thomas Straker and Toby Hopkinson, the brand is set to rebrand as All Things Dairy HQ. |
š ICYMI: Brand Moves Worth Watching
 Botivo x Billās | š½ļø Botivo x Billās Restaurants: paired with Elderflower & Apple in their English Garden Spritz. A big win proving premium non-alc has broad appeal when the serve hits right and another sign that non-alc is fast becoming part of mainstream foodie culture. š„ SAP fuels Marathon PB: third timeās the charm for Co-Founder James Warnock, who secures a sub 3 hour PB fuelled by his new maple-based energy gel. |
š” Inside The Beverage Forum Europe
Last week we were invited to The Beverage Forum in Europe, which was honestly such a cool experience. Itās usually a US event, but this was the first time itās been held in Europe, and it was unreal. š„³
The Beverage Forum Europe stage
The forum brought together founders, investors, and retailers including Sainsburyās, Holland & Barrett, and Tesco (and more). It was amazing to meet so many startups in person and see how much innovation is happening across the beverage space. There were dozens of fridges filled with drinks from new brands and NPD, so it was great to discover whatās coming next.
One of my favourite sessions was from Ananda Roy, SVP at Circana, on the future of European beverages. Our key takeaway was that the brands winning right now are the ones that:
Align their portfolios with evolving consumer needs and attitudes
Move fast in high-growth areas like low and no alcohol and functional drinks
Use data to forecast demand and track sharper trends
Balance growth across in-home, out-of-home, and emerging channels
Rethink their portfolio around moments and occasions, not just categories
There was also a really fun Pitch Slam (check out our full post) where founders pitched live to retailers and investors for Ā£500k worth of support, including an intro to Sainsburyās buyers, a Revolut cash prize, and consultancy from COLLAB. Tequila Flora took home the win, which was so deserved.š
Overall, it was a great day with an amazing level of speakers including The Coca-Cola Company, Huel, BrewDog, TRIP, Athletic Brewing, Fevertree and more. Weāre already looking forward to the next one in Los Angeles and hoping thereāll be another Europe edition next year too.
Talk about being stocked upā¦
Thanks for reading this weekās edition! š„³
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