Drinksology

Drinks and branding company DKG secure £6.5M in funding from Whiterock

DKG said it is aiming to grow its business globally

Paul Millar, CEO of Whiterock Capital pictured with Co-Founders of the DKG Group Richard Ryan and Steven Pattison(Image: )

Northern Ireland drinks company Drinksology Kirker Greer (DKG) has secured £6.5 million-worth of funding from Whiterock.

The business said it will use the investment – which comes from Whiterock’s Growth Capital Fund – to help it to reach its global growth strategy, with expansion into new geographies including Europe and the US.

Founded in Belfast by Richard Ryan and Steven Pattison, the DKG Group has grown into a trusted name in the spirits and hospitality design industries. It is has three core business units: Drinksology Creative, a design and innovation studio; Kirker Greer Spirits, a spirits portfolio; and Spiritly.com, a direct-to-consumer and business-to-business ecommerce platform.

Over the past 18 months, the group has headcount to 49 from 35, and worked on projects including Ukiyo Spirits’ innovative London Underground advertising campaign and Born Irish Whiskey’s experiential marketing activations. Meanwhile, Spiritly.com is being readied for European and American expansion.

“We believe our business and brands have a bright future,” Co-Founder of the DKG Group, Steven Pattison, said. “Over the last 24 months, we have been strategically adding to our team, building out our long-term plans, and steadily moving into our next phase of execution.

“We are comfortable investing ahead of the curve, and this funding package provides us the firepower to keep doing so. It will allow us to leverage our strengths and continue making strategic investments that ensure our growth and success on the global stage.”

Whiterock’s investment in the DKG Group is the first from the £75 million Growth Capital Fund, which Whiterock launched earlier this year. The fund was set up to focus on investing in companies across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK with strong management teams that can demonstrate clear sales growth and routes to market in a wide range of sectors and industries.

“We are excited to invest in the DKG Group, a business led by exceptional and visionary entrepreneurs,” Paul Millar, CEO of Whiterock Capital, said. “The company’s world-class executive team and staff have proven their ability to deliver and the trust they have garnered from some of the biggest brands globally is a testament to their expertise.

“The combination of DKG’s track record, the unique dual-market access Northern Ireland provides to both the UK and EU, and their ambitious growth plans made this a very attractive first investment for the Growth Capital Fund. The deal will be the first in a series of investments that we expect to be able to announce over the coming months.”

Drinks and branding company DKG secure £6.5M in funding from Whiterock

DKG said it is aiming to grow its business globally

Main Links

Quick Links