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Drinks agency launches free campaign to support emerging brands
As costs rise for drinks producers and venues, agency Sweet&Chilli releases Spark Lab, a free initiative to foster growth in the industry.
Global creative drinks agency Sweet&Chilli has announced the launch of Spark Lab, a new initiative aimed at supporting emerging drinks and hospitality brands. As the industry faces increasing pressures, including rising costs, closures, and legislative challenges, Spark Lab provides a rare opportunity for small-scale and new-to-market players to access professional resources and expertise.
Sweet&Chilli, which is also celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, has worked with brands such as Diageo, Moët Hennessy, and Bacardi. Now, the company is using its industry experience to give back to the sector with a free annual workshop.
How it works
Designed specifically for individuals and brands under two years old, Spark Lab offers participants a chance to pitch their ideas through a short video. From the submissions, five finalists will be interviewed, and one winner will be selected to join a three- to five-day workshop.
The winning idea will benefit from Sweet&Chilli’s strategic, creative, and production expertise to transform their concept into a standout brand experience. Applications are open to UK-based brands only for the first year, with plans to expand globally in the future.
“It’s basically a condensed format of what we do for our bigger clients,” Emma Hutchinson, co-founder, explained to db. Workshops will be three to five days long; where we will take a brand with an idea and put our team together to bring it to reality.”
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Addressing Industry Challenges
The initiative comes at a time when the hospitality and drinks industry is navigating a challenging landscape. As other companies, like The Drinks Trust, recently launched a £1 million campaign to support workers, and the whisky market continues to face declines.
At the same time, brewers have criticised rising packaging fees, and pubs are closing at an alarming rate. “Its our job to make sure the drinks brand we support are supporting the drinks industry as a whole,” said Hutchison.
She added: “I feel really proud to be working with not just some of the best drinks brands in the industry but the whole hospitality industry.”
Applications for Spark Lab are open from this month (January 2025). Interested participants can submit a 1-3 minute video pitch outlining their vision via Sweet&Chilli’s website.
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