Inspiro Tequila and Wheyward Spirit Take Top Honors at Sprout Beverage’s Fall 2023 Pitch Day

The brands will receive over $150,000 in combined capital and support services

CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Sprout Beverage, Growth Beverage’s invite-only accelerator for emerging adult beverage brands, has named Inspiro Tequila the winner of its Fall 2023 Pitch Day and Wheyward Spirit its runner-up. Inspiro will receive a $100,000 investment* in capital and services, while Wheyward Spirit will receive $50,000 in resources and services from the Growth Beverage suite of brands.

Pitch Day serves as the culmination of the 3-month-long accelerator, where founders compete for the chance at an investment in a room packed with industry insiders and CPG investors. Judges pick the winner based on the brand’s understanding of their target consumer and market, growth plan, and early traction. This year’s judges included investors from leading CPG investment firms InvestBev, Cleveland Avenue, and Okeanos.

Pitch Day winner, Mara Smith, founder and CEO of Inspiro Tequila, is a former attorney turned stay-at-home mom who was compelled to create a clean, additive-free tequila that she and her friends would want to drink. Her goal was not only to offer meticulously crafted, approachable tequilas, but to bring more female voices to the spirits industry by having women involved in every aspect of the company. Inspiro Tequila is proudly distilled, owned and led by women. The company formalized its commitment to social impact by becoming a Certified B Corp. They have pledged to give back by providing grants and mentoring to other female founders.

Emily Darchuk, founder and CEO of Wheyward Spirit, forged her career as a food scientist in the natural food and dairy industry. While working with dairies, she observed firsthand the problem of whey waste’s impact on communities. What she saw motivated her to do something about it, and Wheyward Spirit was born. The brand offers sippable and sustainable whey-based spirits that redefine “farm to flask.”

“The talent of this season’s founders was so impressive that we created a runner-up category on the spot,” said Brian Rosen, founder of Growth Beverage. “Mara and Emily impressed us for different reasons. Mara is expanding an existing category with innovation to appeal to an underserved female audience, and Emily is creating an entirely new category. We are thrilled to have them and the entire cohort as members of the Growth Beverage family.”

Sprout was created to give promising beverage brands the tools to succeed in the highly competitive adult beverage space. The accelerator hosts invite-only 3-month cohorts that focus on four key areas: product strategy and development, marketing and growth, finance and compliance, and leadership development.

Additional brands selected to participate in the fall cohort include:

• Bluebird Hardwater: A category-creator featuring the perfect balance of whiskey, tequila, or vodka paired with ultra-purified, hydrating water.
• Cook’s Mill Whiskey: Straight bourbon whiskey inspired by the proud tradition of farming and distillation in North Carolina.
• Côtes de Femme: A certified woman-owned wine lifestyle brand that celebrates, uplifts, and empowers women, featuring a Côtes de Provence Rosé and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Elders Cut: Artfully made raw, local mead flavored only with real, raw fruits, roots, and herbs.
• Genuine Spirit Company: Small batch bourbon created by a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer to honor the legacy of the Navy’s backbone.
• Mezcal Local: Mezcal crafted with 100% agave and imported from Oaxaca; each element of the brand is meant to evoke a feeling of home.
• Orejen: The team behind Blackleaf Organic Vodka is reviving Genever, a classic, unique spirit that fills the gap between gin and whiskey.
• Shoal Draft Cider: 0 sugar hard cider with a bold East Coast style.
• Tobago Gold: Caribbean chocolate rum cream created in Trinidad and Tobago that is inspired by the vibrant flavors of the islands.
• Vermont Spirits: Vermont’s oldest craft distillery produces award-winning craft spirits – handcrafted, small batch, and locally sourced.
• Vinalia: A wine subscription club that leverages the wine world’s most underutilized resources to deliver the best bottle you’ve never heard of straight to your doorstep.

“I applied to the Sprout Accelerator to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible,” said Smith. “As a founder in the beverage alcohol space, there are a plethora of topics to understand, from brand positioning to distributor relations to staffing to financial planning. I not only received incredible guidance from industry experts, but I also made lasting connections with the peers in my cohort. I graduated from the accelerator with an amazing toolbox of resources to help me scale Inspiro Tequila to the next level.”

Sprout Beverage is currently accepting applications for its winter cohort, which begins in February 2024. The brand is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, December 6 for those interested in learning more. For more information or to apply, visit SproutBeverage.com.

*All investment is contingent on the successful submission and passing of the InvestBev due diligence process that occurs post-cohort.

About Sprout Beverage

Sprout is an invite-only accelerator for the most promising adult beverage brands. Founders receive actionable advice and connections to build and scale their brands faster. Sprout Beverage is a part of the Growth Beverage ecosystem, a collective of companies that support independent beverage brands across all stages of their journey – from inception through exit.

Press Contact:

Lynn Munroe
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SOURCE Sprout Beverage