Gin duo’s Dragon plan was nearly a washout
THE duo behind Didsbury Gin are celebrating after landing a £75,000 investment on Dragons’ Den – but their winning pitch nearly ended in disaster.
Entrepreneurs Liam Manton and Mark Smallwood had just three minutes to convince Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Jenny Campbell and Tej Lalvani their small batch spirit was worthy of their cash.
But their efforts were nearly scuppered before they even entered the lair at Old Granada Studios when they accidentally washed out their gin glasses with foul-smelling stagnant water.
The pair had been deliberating whether to serve the would-be investors a single or a double measure of gin as they waited in the green room for their turn.
It was only then they that they caught a whiff of the error that could have cost them the funding.
Mark said: “We skirted around disaster about five minutes before going on. We had an idea we should practise the measures and we had some brand new glassware which we had washed out in the sink.
“Obviously, Old Granada Studios isn’t in full time use and it was just from a water tank. The glasses all smelled of eggs. If we hadn’t had that last minute practice to make sure, we’d have served them G&Ts that smelled like rotten eggs.”
Luckily the Dragons were none the wiser and, after pitching their plans for the brand, the pair walked away with £75,000 from Hyde-born businesswoman Jenny Campbell.
The ex-banker and business turnaround specialist said: “Didsbury Gin is all about Mark and Liam. They instantly drew me in with their charm and I thought this could work.”