Cleveland Whiskey

Cleveland Whiskey

Whiskey Distillery Innovator of the Year

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Security Type
Equity
Categories
Food & Bev
Location
Cleveland, OH
Offering Date
June 30, 2018
Expected Close Date
September 28, 2018
Target Raise
$1.00M
Deal Notes
  • Priced Round
  • $14.8M pre-money valuation
  • $4.31/share
Valuation
$14,800,000

Company Description

Twenty-two (22) Gold and Double Gold medals from competitions around the world. Our technology reduces maturation time which is a huge competitive advantage that cuts years off traditional barrel aging and allows flavor profiles that can't be produced in a traditional way. We do it without sugar, syrup, or anything artificial. All the flavor comes from transformative woods like black cherry, apple, hickory and sugar maple. Traditionalists are not happy.

Perks

$100+ Cleveland Whiskey Limited Edition Investor Decal.  This is a one of a kind, limited edition decal that is available only for our investors.  You’ll also receive two tickets to our invitation only “Investor Appreciation Party”.  It’s right here at the Distillery, we’ll open a few of our specialty finish barrels (maybe even an experimental malt whiskey if it’s ready), try out some new cocktails and simply have a great time. Date TBD.
$500+ Stainless Steel Special Edition Investor Flask.  Not for Sale, available only to investors.  Special Edition Cleveland Whiskey Investor Logo.  Includes the Cleveland Whiskey Limited Edition Investor Decal and two tickets to our “Investor Appreciation Party” as well.  Ships to United States addresses only.
$1,500+ Barbeque and Bourbon, Cleveland Style.  One Year Supply of Bourbon Infused Smoker BRICX™ plus a copy of Chef Michael Symon’s newest book “Playing with Fire”.   Cohost of The Chew and celebrated Iron Chef Michael Symon returns to barbecue and live-fire grilling, with over 70 recipes inspired by his newest restaurant, Mabel's BBQ, in his hometown of Cleveland.  The BRICX will come in one big box with twenty-four (24) assorted containers of our packed wet and packed fresh Smoker BRICX.  Enough to feed your smoker for quite some time, whether you’re grilling with fire for just a few or the entire neighborhood. “Playing with Fire” will ship separately, direct from AMAZON.  Shipping ONLY available to the continental United States.  Plus of course you’ll also get the Investor Decal, the Special Edition Flask and two tickets to our “Investor Appreciation Party”.
$2,500+ Cleveland Whiskey “Investor Label”.  Okay, so you’ve seen places where for a certain amount you can get your name on a brick or etched in a sidewalk, but this is more in line with our business.  Invest a minimum of $2,500 and we’ll print your name on the inside back label of our flagship Black Reserve 100 Proof Bourbon.  It won’t be there forever, but we’ll guarantee a run of at least 5,000 bottles.  Most will ship to our retail markets, but we’ll hold a limited number of bottles here at the Distillery for investor pick-up and purchase (of course the first bottle is free, we’ll e-mail each qualifying investor with details).  Plus of course, you get the Barbeque and Bourbon, Cleveland Style package, the Special Edition Flask, the Investor Decal and of course two tickets to our “Investor Appreciation Party”.
$5,000+ Custom Cleveland Whiskey Barrel Head.  Solid American White Oak with an engraved Cleveland Whiskey logo and your name, as listed in the investment documents.  Custom engraved per the following format: “John Jones, Investor”.  Shipping ONLY available to the continental United States.  Don’t forget, you also get your name on the label of our Black Reserve 100 Proof Bourbon, the Barbeque and Bourbon Cleveland Style package, the Special Edition Flask, the Investor Decal and two tickets to our invitation only “Investor Appreciation Party”.
$10,000+ Pre-Release Barrel Strength Cleveland Rye.  To celebrate the fifth year since we shipped our first bottles in 2013, we’re releasing a new rye whiskey finished with charred black cherry wood.  For investors only, we’re planning a high proof pre-release version.  Only 100 numbered bottles, barrel strength at 116 proof, wax dipped and hand-signed by company founder, Tom Lix.  Presented in a hand-made, individually numbered (matching bottle number) and locally produced maple box with a signed and personalized Certificate of Authenticity.  A classic in the making, this is a bottle worth collecting.   Due to state laws restricting direct shipments, bottles are available for Distillery pick-up only and, pending scheduling availability will include a personalized tour and tasting by company founder Tom Lix.  Numbers 001 through 100 will be assigned randomly.   And of course, you also get the Customized Cleveland Whiskey Barrel Head, your name on our Black Reserve label, the Barbeque and Bourbon Cleveland Style package, the Special Edition Flask, the Investor Decal, and two tickets to our “Investor Appreciation Party”

Key Deal Facts

61% revenue growth from 2016 to 2017
"Bourbon Distillery of the Year 2017" AlSC  "Whiskey Distillery Innovator of the Year 2016" BISC
Funding-to-date, $3.6 million with our $700,000 in Regulation D, online equity
24 gold, double gold, and best in class awards
Creatively re-purposed whiskey production by-product, the wood we use to make our whiskey, into a high margin new product launch

Use of Proceeds

If we raise: $1,000,000

  • $400,000 for expanded production capacity. We’ve been developing a modular and rapidly scale-able production platform, with some technology upgrades for our next round of expansion.  The investment from this round will help us with the necessary engineering work to build a production capable prototype while expanding capacity within our existing facility.  The modular units will then be incorporated into a larger facility as part of the next, more significant expansion.  In addition, continued technology development will require support for intellectual property protection, including applications for new patents and trademarks.
  • $375,000 applied to accelerated revenue growth.  It’s no secret that growing our revenue streams requires capital.  Every expansion, whether it’s simply a new retail account or providing inventory into a new market requires cash to finance increases in inventory and the lag between production and marketing costs and incoming revenue.  It’s operating capital that’s used for everything from purchasing bottles in larger volumes to funding additional trade shows.  The investment is critical to maintain and accelerate revenue growth as we build and support an expanded distribution and marketing footprint.
  • $150,000 for organizational infrastructure. With forecasts for considerable growth in both production and revenue, investments in people are not surprisingly required.  Expanded training, additional staffing, safety programs, better systems and process documentation are all part of facilitating our expansion and providing the foundation for continued future growth.
  • $75,000 in funding costs which include external costs for legal, specialty consulting, accounting reviews, funding portal and associated marketing expenses associated with the funding round and intellectual property protection, including the Wefunder intermediary fee.  We’ve been through this before and it’s a real category with real expenses.  A portion of these funds would also be used to build out and finish a tasting room in our current facility, providing a space for our growing library of experimental products and an appropriate area for sampling with both current and future investors.

Management Team / Advisory Board Bios

Tom Lix
CEO
Serial entrepreneur, seasoned leader with packaged goods, software/new product marketing experience.

Reese Edwards
Controller
CPA. Former Big 4 auditor, 10+ years in public multinationals. Multiple M&A deals, up to $1.8B.

Rebecca Harmon
Marketing Director
Former Fortune 100 Marketing Manager. Purposeful integrator of creative design, art and analytics.

Rich Kopronica
National Sales Director, New Products
High achiever, hands-on team builder, no-nonsense sales leader. Joined Cleveland Whiskey in 2013.

Deal Notes

  • Priced Round
  • $14.8M pre-money valuation
  • $4.31/share
Amount Raised : $705,801
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