This Sydney Craft Gin Distillery Crowdfunded $20,000 in One Day

A new craft gin distillery in Sydney has begun production with a bang, after its Pozible crowdfunding campaign drew in $25,000 in under a day. The initial run of Poor Toms Gin sold out less than 24 hours after their Pozible page went live in mid-June, with pledges exceeding the label’s initial target by a whopping $5000. A second batch is currently available — although if recent history is any indicator, it might not be so for long.

“We were really surprised,” admits Poor Toms co-founder Griffin Blumer. “We thought that we would sell the first batch over the month. But to sell the first batch in a day was really shocking, and exciting. We’re happy to see that there are lots of people out there in Australia who want a new, sophisticated gin.”

Operating out of a rented warehouse space in Marrickville, Poor Toms produce a gin they describe as “distinctively Sydney". Distilled under veteran gin maker Marcel Thompson, it’s made using Australian wheat infused with ten botanicals, including green apples, lemon myrtle, camomile, and native strawberry gum.

Poor Toms isn’t Pozible’s only boozy success story in recent times; last year Blood Moon tonic syrup took less than three days to hit $10,000. “Craft spirits have always done really well,” says Pozible spokesperson Claire Merquita. “But even so, it's rare to see a campaign hit its target as quickly as Poor Toms did!”

“Pozible was a really good platform,” says Blumer. “Apart from a couple of my grandmother’s friends who keep emailing saying they can’t make it work, everyone else seems to understand what crowdfunding is, and see it as a way of giving a boost to a brand they want to see more of.”

With fourteen days left to go on their campaign, Poor Toms currently sit at more than $48,000. Pledges of $71 will get you a 700mL bottle, while $136 gets you two bottles plus a Poor Toms legionaire hat. For the time being Poor Toms can only be purchased through the crowdfunding platform, although Blumer and his co-founder Jesse Kennedy plan to start approaching bars and bottleshops in the near future.

To purchase your own bottle of Poor Toms Gin, head on over to their Pozible Page, which will be live until July 16.