Fevertree Drinks plc, known as Fever-Tree, is a British producer of premium
drink mixers, founded by Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow in 2004.[5]
History
Fever-Tree was founded by gin industry expert
Charles Rolls and advertising executive
Tim Warrillow in 2004.[6][7][8] The duo shared a desire to create the perfect all-natural tonic water mixer,[9] producing a premium option to standard mixers available on the market without high quantities of preservatives and artificial sweeteners.[10][11] Following an excursion to the Democratic Republic of the Congo,[8] and several months of development and experimentation with different botanicals, the first product; Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water was launched in 2005,[12] with their products listed in
Selfridges and
Waitrose stores.[13]
In 2006, the company received investment from London & Lochside, a venture capitalist.
In 2007 Fever-Tree launched in the United States of America and Spain, and in 2008 had listed products with the Sainsbury's and Tesco U.K. supermarkets.
By 2011 Fever-Tree became recognised as one of the fastest growing UK drinks companies by being included in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list. Their distribution range had expanded to 25 countries in the same year. This led to growth in foreign sales, with an increase of 94% annually between 2008 and 2010, from £1.1 million to £4.4 million.[14]
In March 2013, the founders sold 25% of the company to
Lloyds Development Capital,[5] and London & Lochside exited its holding with the business. In November 2014, the company floated on the London Stock Exchange[15] under the
ticker symbol LSE:FEVR; the IPO valued Fever-Tree at £154.4m.[16] As of 2019, its market value had increased elevenfold since its 2014 listing.[17]
Since its initial offering, the company has expanded its product line to include a wider range of mixers including ginger ale, ginger beer, lemonade and flavoured tonic and soda water.[18][10]
In January 2022, the company launched its product range in South Korea.[19][20] In September, as part of its expansion in the US, Fever-Tree announced its acquisition of Powell & Mahoney mixers for $5.9 million.[21][22] Within the same year, Rolls retired from his position as non-executive deputy chairman of Fever-Tree.[23]
Name origin
The company's name comes from its initial product, a tonic water. The tonic is flavoured with
quinine, a chemical extracted from the bark of the South American
cinchona tree.[24] When introduced to India as a pharmaceutical to aid in reducing the fever associated with
malaria, quinine was blended with soda water and sugar to make it more palatable, producing the earliest tonic water.[25] The cinchona tree has been referred to in India as the fever tree.[26]
Products
Based in west
London, Fever-Tree makes a variety of beverages, including
tonic water,
ginger beer and
lemonade. As of 2023, Fever-Tree products are exported to and available in over 80 countries.[12]
Products are manufactured in
Somerset.[27] The range includes:
Fever-Tree has established strategic partnerships with various distilleries and bars in recent years.
In 2013 Fever-Tree began actively supporting the non-profit organisation
Malaria No More; a charitable organisation dedicated to eliminating Malaria.[18]
In 2018, Fever-Tree announced a three-year collaboration with the
Lawn Tennis Association,[35] serving as title-sponsor.[36] In addition, in August of the same year, Fever-Tree entered into a distribution agreement with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, the largest distributor of alcholoic beverages in North America. As a result, Fever-Tree secured exclusive on-premise channel distribution in 29 states.[37] The following month, Fever-Tree launched its citrus tonic water partnership with
Bacardi's Patrón Tequila.[29][38]
In 2019 the British coffee chain
Caffe Nero partnered with the company to sell two variations of the drink
espresso and tonic across its outlets.[39]
In 2022, the leading multi-channel foodservice provider for
UAE, Bidfood UAE, became the exclusive distributor of the Fever-Tree products in the United Arab Emirates.[40] In the same year, Fever-Tree sponsored the Time Out Hong Kong Bar Awards.[41]
In 2023, in combination with Chemist Spirits, Fever-Tree opened its first U.S. Rooftop Botanical Bar Experience in North Carolina.[42][43]
Recognition and awards
Fever-Tree's
drink mixers have won "Outstanding Cold Beverage" in the sofi Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012.[44]
2014
Awarded Best Brand in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 Fastest Growing Companies.[13]
2015
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40][45]
2016
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40][45]
2017
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40][45]
2018
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40][45]
2019
Queen's Award for Enterprise, an honour given to companies that excel in international trade, innovation, and sustainable development.
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40][45]
2020
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40]
2021
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40]
2022
Drinks International Award for bestselling and top trending mixer brand.[19][40]
Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Award; The Department for International Trade Exporter of the Year Award.[46]
The King's Award for Enterprise: International Trade for Outstanding Continuous Growth.[47]
Awarded Highly Commended in the 2022 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards.[48]
2023
Good Housekeeping Institute Award for Best Mediterranean Tonic Water.[49]
^"Fever-Tree, the World's Leading Premium Mixer Brand, Opens Its First U.S. Rooftop Botanical Bar Experience with Chemist Spirits in Asheville, North Carolina: Chemistspirits-Bar". PR Newswire US. 11 May 2023.