The UK's fastest growing drinks-brand, MOTH Drinks, on turning an idea into a success

Tom Britton

17 March 2025•7 min read

In the latest episode of the Angel Insights podcast, we sat down with Rob Wallis, co-founder of Moth Drinks, a SyndicateRoom portfolio company that's revolutionising the ready-to-drink cocktail market. From its humble beginnings in a home kitchen to expanding across the Atlantic, Moth has established itself as a premium brand in a rapidly growing category. Here's how they did it.

You can listen to the podcast here:

From a bartender's kitchen to supermarket shelves

Rob's journey began with a Christmas gift and a simple question: why couldn't cocktails be as easy to enjoy as a beer but with the quality of a bar-made drink? After receiving a bottle of whiskey, the former bartender created an old-fashioned masala chai and discovered something interesting.

"When I wanted a drink on a Friday night, I chose the old-fashioned because it took no more brainpower. But it was way more delicious and way more special," Rob explains.

This sparked the idea for Moth Drinks – cocktails as easy as opening a can of beer ("as easy as a moth to a flame"), but with bar-quality taste.

After sending his best friend a Facebook message about bottled cocktails, Rob and co-founder Sam spent a year developing recipes before debuting at Belgravia Christmas Market. Nine months later, they secured placement in Selfridges, followed by Harrods and The Ritz. Then COVID hit, forcing a pivotal moment for the young brand.

"We had three options," Rob recalls. "One was stop, knock it on the head. Two is keep doing what you're doing and wait till everything opens up on the other side of the pandemic. And three was treated the last three years as the MBA that it was with all the mistakes and all the learnings, raise a little bit of money and move from glass bottle to can."

The team chose option three, raising £400,000 in their first funding round (which included SyndicateRoom) and making the bold move to transition from glass bottles to cans – a decision that would prove transformative.

The Waitrose breakthrough

Shortly after closing their funding round, Moth secured a listing with Waitrose, a milestone that dramatically accelerated their growth trajectory. The scale was astonishing: their first Waitrose order exceeded the company's entire revenue from its previous three years. "Very quickly we were doing more a month than we'd made for the last three years in one go," Rob shares.

Today, Moth cocktails can be found in virtually every major UK supermarket, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-op, Ocado, Asda, Morrisons, and Booths. They've also expanded into on-trade locations like Wagamama and Francomanca.

Quality-first approach in a price-sensitive market

What sets Moth apart in a crowded market? According to Rob, it's their fundamentally different approach to the ready-to-drink category.

"The entire category has asked the question for the last 20 years, 'How cheap can you make it?' And we came in and asked the question, 'How good can you make it?' And therefore, what do you have to charge?"

This philosophy led Moth to launch at a price point four times higher per millilitre than their nearest competitor – a bold move that has paid off as consumers increasingly seek premium, high-quality alternatives.

Obsessing over details

The Moth team's commitment to quality extends beyond just the liquid inside the can. Every element of the product experience has been carefully considered:

The labels are textured, providing both an interesting tactile experience and better grip when the can is cold. The can size is deliberately smaller and more elegant than standard RTD formats. Every detail in the product descriptions is crafted to sound like "telling your best friend about your favourite cocktail, not some snobby bartender using words that you can't understand"

"One of our company values is 'the little things matter,'" Rob explains. "We haven't got the soft jazz in the background, the lovely person in a tuxedo and the menu and the sound of shakers in the distance. All we've got is that little can and what goes in it. And so everything contributes to that experience."

The B-Corp journey

Sustainability and ethical business practices have been core to Moth from the beginning. In 2021, they achieved B Corp certification, joining a community of businesses committed to balancing profit and purpose.

Interestingly, the biggest benefit of B Corp status hasn't been consumer recognition, but rather its impact on recruitment. "Especially younger people are looking to only apply to jobs that have it," Rob notes. "It's this amazing ethical standard that they're bringing into the workforce."

The certification has also connected Moth to a vibrant community of like-minded businesses, particularly in London, which Rob describes as "the global capital of B Corps."

Crossing the Atlantic

With the UK business flourishing, Moth has set its sights on the massive US market – approximately 38 times larger than the UK despite having only six times the population.

Rather than attempting to conquer all 50 states simultaneously, they've taken a strategic approach, launching first in Florida and Massachusetts – two markets with completely different distribution models, seasonality, and regulations. This has allowed them to develop distinct playbooks that can be adapted for future state expansions.

To ensure success, they've established a fully domestic US supply chain, with production now based in America and a growing team headquartered in New York. As Rob puts it, "We are a US brand in the US. We're a UK brand in the UK. That's part of the aim to be a global brand."

What's next for Moth?

The brand's ambition is clear: to become the global number one premium RTD cocktail brand. In the UK, they're targeting 50% growth this year while working toward profitability. In the US, they're aiming to expand methodically, with plans to launch in Illinois next.

Their innovation pipeline remains active, with two new products recently released: a Passion Fruit Martini (exclusively in Tesco) and a Spicy Margarita featuring a proprietary blend of three chillies (serrano, bird's eye, and habanero) combined with smoky cherry oak for a complex, layered experience.

As Rob looks to the future, he acknowledges the rapid pace of change in the industry: "We often say at Moth we work in dog years. Everything happens so quickly and changes so fast that five years is an incredibly long time."

Whatever the future holds, Moth's commitment to quality, sustainability, and creating exceptional drinking experiences is sure to remain at the heart of everything they do.

Learn more about MOTH on its website

Listen to our conversation on the Angel Insights podcast

Find out more about the Access EIS Fund

Download your Access EIS Fund brochure

Read our fund brochure for everything you need to know about the Access EIS Fund, which includes a full explanation of our innovative co-investment model to our fees, and instructions on how to invest. Register to download the brochure.