North Cornish drinks brand, Pentire Drinks has secured a £500,000 equity investment from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) as part of a £3m funding round.

The CIOSIF investment, along with match-funding from private investors, will be used to grow the team by creating 10 new positions over the next three years along with expanding multiple areas of the business.

Pentire is a direct-to-consumer led, omni-channel business with its non-alcoholic botanical spirits championed by chefs across Cornwall and the UK, including Rick Stein, Nathan Outlaw, Paul Ainsworth and Emily Scott. The company’s products can also be found in Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Fenwick, The Pig Hotels, Soho House Group, Daylesford and Planet Organic.

The business has created Pentire Seaward and Pentire Adrift, which are made by distilling plants native to the local coastline, making delicious spirits in their own right that appeal to gin, vodka and tequila lovers looking to experience great flavours. Pentire is also proudly a certified B-Corp and donates proceeds to the Blue Marine Foundation.

The no and low alcohol sectors are continuing to grow as consumers are focusing more on prioritising their health and looking to moderate alcohol consumption. Pentire’s roots in active outdoor coastal living and sustainability are well positioned for this movement.

Pentire Drinks was founded by Alistair Frost and his good friend Edward Grieg-Gran. They commented: “We’re a young and passionate team who genuinely love our products. Our drinks encompass what it means to be Cornish, and we work hard to make sure they inspire our customers without damaging our local environment. The non-alcoholic spirits sector is thriving and Pentire is growing along with it. We’re well on the way to becoming an easily recognisable brand and this funding will enable us to continue this rate of growth and put Pentire firmly in the drinks cabinets of people across the globe.”

Ralph Singleton, Head of Funds Cornwall at The FSE Group, added: “Pentire is an exciting brand which is new to market but already boasts a strong history of sales. This is thanks in main to the high-quality drinks, but the team behind the range are responsible for creating and raising the profile of the company which has driven sales upward. We were impressed by Pentire’s strong management team and advisers and have every faith that they will steer this Cornish brand on to even greater success.”

The £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund provides debt and equity finance from £25,000 to £2 million to help growing small businesses across the region. It has been established by the British Business Bank in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Paul Jones, Senior Investment Manager from the British Business Bank, said: “This is one of the largest equity deal the fund has backed and we’re delighted to be supporting Pentire’s growth. Through our regional investment funds we are helping to build a portfolio of sustainable businesses around the UK and this deal is the latest example of that.”

John Acornley, LEP non-executive director and chair of the CIOSIF Advisory Board, said:“Pentire is another environmentally-focused Cornish business that has put sustainability at its heart. They have produced a drinks range that quite literally distils the essence of Cornwall into healthy premium products that have found their niche in the growing non-alcoholic segment.”

CIOSIF is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

For more information about the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund including how to apply, please visit www.ciosif.co.uk; or follow the fund on Twitter at @CIOSIFBBB2