English vineyard secures £2.75m investment

Hampshire’s Hambledon Vineyard has successfully raised £2.75 million to expand its operation by offering investors “English Fizz” bonds through crowdfunding site CrowdBnk.

The vineyard launched its crowdfunding campaign in March offering mini bonds with a return value of 8% cash per annum, rolled up into a 40% interest payment after five years, and “fizz rewards” which give investors a number of bottles of Classic Cuvée every year during the investment term. The crowdfunded investment potential has now been increased to £3.5 million, exceeding the producer’s original target.

Ian Kellett, who bought Hambledon Vineyard in 1999 because of its similar chalk soil and climactic conditions to Champagne, said he was “delighted” with the success of the campaign.

“Our aim is simple; selling Englishness to the world in the form of an eventual one million bottles per annum of the highest quality English fizz, from England’s oldest commercial vineyard and the ‘birthplace’ of cricket”, he said. “We believe that Hambledon has the terroir, the potential for category leadership, and the team to produce the finest brand of English sparkling wine recognized across the world.”

Proceeds of the retail bond issue will help Hambledon expand its output and build up stocks to enable it to achieve an initial sales target of 200,000 bottles a year within five years.