Hector Gorosabel, the former Chief Executive of Asahi Europe, and Matt Tapper, the former Managing Director of Lion Beverages, have joined SERVED Drinks as senior board advisors. They join Justin King, the renowned former CEO of Sainsbury’s, who already sits on the company’s advisory board.
The appointments are part of a multimillion-pound investment round to support the brand’s growth, which has been backed by Gorosabel, Tapper and King.
Co-owned by pop singer Ellie Goulding, SERVED has become the largest independently owned hard seltzer in the UK.
The hard seltzer category is one of the fastest-growing drink categories in the UK, with retail sales climbing 39% over the last year. This growth is expected to continue as the category builds momentum with millennial and gen Z audiences looking for ‘better-for-you’ drinking experiences with fewer calories, less sugar and natural ingredients.
SERVED revenues in the off-trade are up 1,304% year-on-year, and the brand will be launching into one of the big four grocers later in the summer, after listings such as Ocado.
The brand is having similar success in the on-trade with revenues up 960% year-on-year, having secured listings including British Airways, Everyman Cinemas, Incipio Group, Swingers, and Honest Burgers.
However, with the ability to reach millions of millennial and gen Z consumers online, direct-to-consumer (DTC) remains the brand’s key focus, with it on track to sell more than three million cans on its e-commerce website this year.
Dean Ginsberg, co-founder and joint CEO of SERVED, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hector and Matt as investors and onto our advisory board. It’s a hugely exciting time for the brand and the hard seltzer category more broadly. We have ambitions to lead the category, go the distance, and change the way the next generation drinks – and to do this, we need the very best people around us. Hector and Matt bring decades of experience scaling some of the world’s most successful premium alcohol brands and we look forward to working alongside them.”
Gorosabel commented: “I am honoured to join the SERVED team in their quest to redefine ‘better for you’ alcoholic beverages. SERVED is a thoughtful and expertly crafted beverage that is quickly establishing itself in the repertoire of UK consumers. The team’s proven ability to build meaningful connections with younger consumers will only serve to accelerate this trend. I have no doubt that SERVED will become the hard seltzer brand by which all others are measured.”
