Virtus Brands, the firm behind UK vodka brand Jatt Life, has opened a £1m investment round to fund the expansion of its international operation to meet increasing demand from overseas.
The vodka, which was founded by Baz and Sunny Kooner in 2020, has experienced rapid growth over a four-year period and is now being sold across the UK and 18 countries worldwide.
Baz and Sunny have self-funded the company growth so far but are now looking for investors to support its further ambitions of breaking into new markets and continuing to grow its international footprint and penetrate new markets.
“Our self-funding approach has served us incredibly well because it’s enabled us to where we want to be, which is a vertically integrated operation where we own and control virtually every step of the process,” Baz said.
“Now we’re ready to invite new investors on the exciting journey that lies ahead, by using capital to accelerate our international expansion, optimise operations and enhance our brand presence in key global markets.”
The success of Jatt Life vodka led Baz and Sunny to grow their company to create a portfolio of independently owned drinks.
Virtus Brands work with entrepreneurs, music artists and influencers to create their own spirit brands from idea to production and finally distribution, and has a range of 18 drinks in its portfolio, ranging from vodka to Champagne and flavoured rums, including spirits from worldwide celebrity influencers.
It now employs 15 people at its headquarters in Dudley, in the West Midlands, from where it has just dispatched its latest container of Jatt Life vodka to the US, where sales are thriving via bars, restaurants and the retail trade.
It now wants to take things further into new territories, with the charge being led by Jatt Life, which is now available in five expressions, including lime zest, vanilla bean and forest fruits.
