Meet the founder of Givinity
Well, where to start. I’m Rebecca Colton, a mum of three who grew up as one of 7 children on a farm in Lancashire. I did a degree in Podiatry before becoming a medical Rep. My grandmother was a huge gin fan and as a child I remember her sitting back enjoying a gin and tonic in the orchard of an evening. I guess that’s where my love of gin started, although I always thought it had a bit on an old fashion reputation.
So my main objectives when creating Givinity was to bring it into the 21st century and get the flavour absolutely perfect. I feel so lucky that Givinity as a brand has been an instant hit but like all new brands we are still finding teething problems that have tested me as an Entrepreneur, but have managed to constantly move forward in the right direction and grow, we have continued with some very large brand partnerships and intend to continue that way.
Where did the inspiration for Givinity come from?
As a gin lover myself I needed something to sit in our collection that would impress our friends and family when they came over, but again it was also going back to my childhood when my grandmother used to sit there with her gin & tonic and the love she had for experimenting with ingredients grown on our farm. As my sisters and I got older and were getting ready for a night out, we thought we were so grown up as we made ourselves a gin & tonic emulating our grandmother.
Givinity is a luxury brand. How did you fund it all?
Myself and husband funded the business from the beginning with our own savings which allowed us to launch. We then took Alfie Best on as an investor and business advisor who has been a huge part in the growth and success of Givinity this year.
It’s been less than a year since you launched and you’ve already been featured in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, how did you get their attention?
The bottle gets everyone’s attention; social media has been great for us too and of course the flavour has been a big hit.
Your list of UK retailers is enviable; Givinity has been flying off the shelves of Harvey Nichols all summer, what was that moment like for you when they stocked Givinity?
Ivan Dixon the head buyer there fell in love with the product the moment he touched it and he knew it would be a great fit for his shoppers, but like he said it taste as good as it looks.
What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you first launched?
A hell of a lot, especially getting the first bottle to how it has developed to what it is now.
You’re a woman who is enjoying huge success in a male dominated industry. Do you ever feel under pressure to perform to a certain standard?
Not really, when I am meeting with buyers that are majority male, it’s a breath of fresh air for them when I turn up especially as the bottle is very feminine, they get the story straight away, and I get a lot of compliments from rival brands.
Female entrepreneurs are popping up in various industries now, especially Tech. What advice would you give to other women ready to launch their brand?
Dream it, live it and believe in yourself, if men can do it we can do it better and I think there is plenty of woman proving this out there, but the key is the team around you.
How do you disconnect and relax?
The gym, I attend spinning classes & aerobic classes, I also love to wind down with my kids and husband.
Has it all set in yet or are you still just as excited as you were at day one?
I am excited still for the future of Givinity, that I still believe will be a big brand in the gin sector within the next 5 years.
You’ve had an amazing start so far and you’re clearly poised to take over the world. How do you measure your success?
I am grateful, but not jumping too far in front of myself, the whole team believe in the brand so we look forward to the task in front of us.
You’ve launched three amazing products, what plans do you have to expand the brand over the next 12 months?
We are going to concentrate now on what we have got, there are plans for future products but they will remain with us for now, so I guess you will have to wait and see!