For investors looking for a sweet deal, Haughton Honey might be the place to start; the premium honey brand has launched an £80,000 crowdfunding campaign to attract investment, boost growth and take the business to the next level.

Since launching in 2014, Cheshire-based Haughton Honey has steadily expanded and has been snapped up and stocked by the likes of Booths and The Protein Works. With the UK honey market worth £119.5 million per year, this fast-paced business is clearly expanding into a receptive market.

Since starting the business two years ago the company now has more than 70 regional sales outlets in the UK, and sales of jams, spreads and honey grew 5.9 percent in the year up to October 2015. As Haughton Honey’s founder Crispin Reeves says, “forget spreading the love – loving the spread is more accurate at the moment.”

Speaking about his decision to attract investment through crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, Reeves said:

“During 2015 we packed and sold over 8,000kg of English honey and anticipate requiring more than double that amount during 2016. Now is the time to seek additional investment to support the growth of Haughton Honey so that we can take on more bee farmers, increase our honey production to satisfy our growing month-on-month demand, and hopefully achieve a listing with a second premium multiple retailer.”

Haughton Honey bottles raw honey straight from the hive, which is cold extracted and never pasteurised – so it retains all of the natural enzymes and proteins that make English honey so special. The product is 100% natural and pure, and features traces of dandelion, chestnut, blackberry, clover and other wildflowers.

A series of rewards are on offer for those who invest in Haughton Honey, including discounts, honey, bee farming experiences, and hotel, restaurant and cookery school vouchers. For more information, visit their crowdfunding page here.

Miranda Wadham on 15/04/2016