Luxury food and drink gift company, , has secured a 拢500,000 investment in a deal that values the business at 拢2m.
The funding comes from an unnamed angel investor in exchange for a minority stake in the growing Lincolnshire-based business.
Award-winning Sarah Louise Fairburn, who founded IMP & MAKER in 2020 with a mission to become the UK鈥檚 go-to business for food and drink gifting, hailed the investment as ‘game-changing’.
She said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real validation in what we鈥檙e building at IMP & MAKER and me personally.
Sarah Louise Fairburn: Disrupting the world of food and drink gifting
鈥淭he investor was impressed by the strength of our brand, the quality of our products, and the breadth and range of our customer base.
鈥淭hey saw the amazing growth potential in eCommerce and B2B that will see us grow to over 拢2m this year
鈥淗e shares our vision to disrupt the food and drink gift sector with our beautifully packaged and personalised gifts that our customers remember and savour 鈥� all underpinned by the best technology.鈥�
The majority of IMP & MAKER鈥檚 business comes through its eCommerce platform, a growing list of corporate clients and its existing relationships with retailers like Costco and Not On The High Street.
The investment will be used to scale the business and repay 拢200,000 in funding from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (MEIF II) and the Regional Growth Fund.
Fairburn, a single mum-of-four, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e debt-free and set for growth. Most startups have difficulty obtaining investment, especially in the eCommerce space, which requires large levels of money to gain brand recognition
鈥淲e鈥檝e now got the right infrastructure and team in place to take IMP & MAKER to the next level and we鈥檝e significantly increased聽our margins and reduced our customer acquisition costs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e on track to make our first profit this year and the 拢500,000 investment will enable us to take full advantage of the busy Christmas and New Year period.
鈥淭hank you to our valued advisors –聽Franklins聽– in assisting with this investment and Collin Franklin for his continued belief and vision.鈥�
IMP & MAKER employs eight people at its head office in Lincolnshire.