A homegrown cocktail making company loved by reality TV stars is toasting a first year of success and mixing things up by moving into a new Norfolk home.
Edmunds Cocktails, a family-run business, launched in 2019, in the kitchen of a home in Wymondham.
Started by Paul Mayes and his business partner, a mixologist with years of experience in the industry who does not wish to be named, the pair had no idea just how popular their cocktails would be.
After originally selling their products to businesses within the hospitality sector, including bars, restaurants and hotels, when lockdown hit, they made the move into retail and launched their online website – with help from Mr Mayes' fiancée, Bethany Wilson, who has now quit her job to work full time for the business.
With orders flying in, Edmunds Cocktails is now moving into a new premises at Snetterton Business Park so the team can keep up with the demand.
Mr Mayes, 30, said: “Around June, our website was up and running and we started building a social media following.
“From the first day we had an influx of sales, which was unexpected and very positive.
"Because of lockdown a lot of people have been trying to recreate the bar experience at home.
“It was about a month after we started selling online, we had a few boxes sent to the Made in Chelsea cast and they all started posting videos on their social media.
“Then someone from Benefit cosmetics got in touch and said they are doing a Christmas influencer box and they wanted to add our cocktails to it, which was going to be sent to 200 of the biggest influencers in the UK.
“We were featured in GQ, Forbes and The Evening Standard. It was amazing. It's something we hadn’t dreamt of.
"We were so busy over Christmas, our house looked like a factory. "
Their website has a range of eight cocktails hand mixed and perfected by Mr Mayes' business partner.
Orders also contains garnishes for each cocktail and its owners say there are currently three more in development, as well as mocktails, which will soon be available.
The company also prides itself on being carbon friendly and plants one tree for every box or litre bottle sold.
Mr Mayes added: “We are hoping that we can all be full time by the summer.
“We want to get into big companies and continue getting into as many bar, pubs and hotels in East Anglia as possible.
“It’s a massive buzz when our friends go in there and see our bottles behind the bar. It’s an amazing feeling to see a product that we have created at home in our kitchen.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here