Heineken UK has obtained a “significant minority” stake in Served, the ready-to-drink (RTD) brand backed by singer Ellie Goulding. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Brothers Dean and Ryan Ginsberg founded Served in 2020, with the pop star joining as an investor in 2021. Initially launched as a hard seltzer, the Served line now includes cocktails made using natural and sustainably sourced ingredients, premium spirits and “wonky” fruit (produce that doesn’t meet the aesthetics standards for retailers).
The new partnership will support the brand into its next growth stage, and provide Served with the opportunity to become a leader in the wider U.K. RTD market, according to Heineken. The founders will continue to build the brand independently, and further establish its premium and better-for-you positioning.
“We are extremely proud of what the team has achieved in a short period of time, but our vision has always been to lead the category, and this partnership with Heineken will enable us to accelerate our growth and maximize the potential of the brand,” said Ginsberg in a press release yesterday.
The move is not Heineken’s first foray into RTDs. The company steered its Jamaican beer brand, Red Stripe, into canned rum cocktails earlier this year and launched a line extension of its imported Mexican beer in 2022 with Dos Equis Margarita. The latter brand was aimed at competing with established RTD players such as Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned Cutwater Spirits and E. & J. Gallo’s High Noon Sun Sips.
“We have been interested in expanding our premium portfolio beyond beer and cider, seeking the right opportunity to invest in new growth categories,” said Boudewijn Haarsma, managing director of Heineken U.K. “Dean, Ryan and Ellie have built something unique and special in Served and we’re excited about the prospect of partnering with them and building the proposition for the future.”
Last year Served appointed former Asahi Europe CEO Hector Gorosabel and former Lion Beverages managing director Matt Tapper as senior board advisors last summer, following a “multimillion-pound” investment round.