1.4 million to launch ready-to-serve cocktails internationally

Challenge

Cocktail o'clock! Cocktails are no longer the luxury product of the past, but are increasingly being ordered at parties or terraces. With their ready-to-serve concept, Craftails is therefore off to a strong start. The small-scale Antwerp company, founded by four experienced bartenders, conquers the Belgian market and quickly aims across the border. Craftails can prove in a very short time that it has a profitable and scalable business model; unfortunately, the house bank cannot grow with this ambitious team.

Approach

The Harbour brings out the company's growth drivers and is well-founded financial plan out. The ambitious growth plans are translated into a clear pitch and achievable targets that everyone feels comfortable with.

During the preparation of the file, it became clear that there was room for additional bank financing. The Harbour took a targeted approach and approached various banking relationships. Craftails quickly gained Belfius' trust and raised even more funding than initially thought.

And The Harbour and Craftails will continue to work together. In order to closely monitor cash flow throughout the year, The Harbour remains a financing expert and sparring partner for this growing company.

Outcome

At the beginning of 2024, we will have €1.4 million raised through debt financing. Thanks to this extra funding, Craftails can scale up production, purchase new equipment and move to a larger warehouse. Craftails now covers the whole of Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia, but is now fully focused on the Netherlands, where it wants to build a much larger team. So the plans that were already in place are gaining momentum and Craftails is ready to go international.

Funding as a Service: More than just capital!

At The Harbour, it doesn't stop after funding: we'll keep thinking along and help companies like Craftails grow sustainably. After the funding round, we will guide Craftails in several crucial areas:

• The financial plan and forecast are adjusted based on the latest figures.
• Investments are critically assessed so that growth opportunities are made optimal use of.
• International expansion is being funded, with a focus on a foreign subsidiary.
• Cash flow management is improved by implementing Monitr software.
• The commission system for sellers is being set up so that Craftails can implement a motivating and sustainable system.

Our partnership with Craftails shows how we 'Funding as a Service'approach: it's not just about financing, but also about creating the right structures and strategies for sustainable growth. By combining capital, insight and technology, we ensure that companies like Craftails can not only scale, but also do so in a financially healthy way.