April Networking Breakfast – Genius Brewing’s Journey to Dragon’s Den & Beyond
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March Networking Breakfast
28 April 2022
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Our brand new for 2022 Networking Breakfasts are open events where both members of WeDO and non-members are welcome. They offer a fantastic opportunity to network with the Scottish business community and we alternate each month between an entrepreneurial speaker who will share their journey (including challenges faced – no rose tinted glasses overviews!) and topic based, where the speaker will share their expertise and tips on a specific subject. Places are limited to 50 to enable effective networking and are allocated on a first come first served basis. Please note that tickets must be booked in advance and will not be available on the door.
This month, we’re delighted to be welcoming Jason Clarke and Charlie Craig, founders of Genius Brewing, the UK’s first ‘light’ craft lager – 3% ABV and 79 calories, fewer than an apple. When their eureka moment struck, they were thinking about health, other craft beer brands seemed to be in an ‘arms race’ as to who could make the strongest, craziest beers.
Beer has been brewed for over 5,000 years. For a beer start-up to succeed in today’s industry requires a truly innovative product and a compelling brand. In the US, the three biggest-selling beers are all light beers, Jason and Charlie predicted that in the UK, ‘light beer’ will be a significant feature in the beer landscape, with ‘light craft’ as the premium option.
Genius was founded in 2018 and is available online at geniusbrewing.com, on Amazon, in farm shops, delis and bars and in SPAR stores across Scotland. Gen!us Craft Lager won ‘Best UK Craft Lager’ at the LUX Life Food & Drink Awards and made the final in ‘Best Low & No Alcohol’ at the World Beverage Innovation Awards – the only beer to do so.
Genius Brewing has been an Official Fundraising Partners of our charity partner, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, donating 5p from every can of Gen!us to support Doddie’s mission to tackle MND.
Join us to hear their journey to date, the ups and downs, lessons learnt and the inside scoop on pitching to the Dragons with a viewing audience of 4 million …
DRAGON’S DEN
In April 2021, Jason and Charlie headed down to BBC Manchester having been selected to pitch on the show. It was a nerve-wracking experience recalls Jason:
“As a former TV director, I wasn’t fazed by the filming environment but now I was on the other side of the camera, pitching to the Dragons, watched by millions.”
Charlie knew the pressure would be on:
“Our key focus was to explain the trend for healthier drinking and how our low calorie craft lager offered a new #SmartDrinking approach. We knew Peter Jones always challenges valuations but felt that Tej Lalvani’s background in health products could help.”
Tej Lalvani commented:
“Clever idea. I like the taste of it. You’ve got a unique product.”
THE SPEAKERS
Jason Clarke
Jason is a Law graduate and former Army officer. He spent 20 years as an award-winning writer and filmmaker working across TV, marketing, corporate comms and feature films. In 2011, he established SIGNAL2NOISE (now SIGNAL Film) a digital media production company based in Scotland whose clients included Shell, Baxters, Royal Caribbean, RBS, and William Grant & Sons.
“I’m proud to have had the vision to spot the future trend for healthier drinking, and the courage to walk away from my successful digital media company to launch Genius Brewing. After the ‘eureka’ moment, I called up Charlie, a university friend from thirty years earlier who’d worked for Fyne Ales, and posed the question, ‘Why is no one making a healthier craft beer?'”
Charlie Craig
Charlie was formerly a procurement consultant working within the hotel and pub industry. Prior to that he was the Operations Director of Fyne Ales one of the leading UK craft breweries with responsibility for the day to day running of the business including: buying; production; hiring; marketing; distribution and account management (particularly the multiples and large pub groups)
“While Operations Director at Fyne Ales, I recognised that our brand had become tired. Cool new craft beers had stolen a march and quality was no longer a guarantee of success. Drastically, I committed to invest 10% of our turnover to rebrand the business. A big call. And it worked. We won a prestigious design award and our turnover quadrupled over the next four years. Who dares wins….they say!”
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Anyone with an interest in business who is looking for an enjoyable networking event! Unlike many speaker events, there will be plenty of time allocated for networking which has been missed by so many during the pandemic.
TICKET PRICE
The ticket price of £20 + VAT for members and £25 + VAT for non-members. The ticket price includes tea/coffee and a bacon roll or fruit salad. Please select your choice when booking your ticket.
A VAT invoice will be issued once you have booked your ticket. Please note that ticket sales end on . Tickets can only be refunded by emailing us on [email protected] before 12 noon on Thursday the 21st of April.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Tickets can be cancelled and refunded by emailing [email protected]. We regret that any tickets cancelled after Thursday 21st of April will not be applicable for refunds for any reason.
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