Genius Brewing Goes Prime Time
07 April 2021
My Name’5 Doddie Foundation Official Fundraising Partner Genius Brewing will appear on Dragons’ Den on BBC One April 8th
Genius Brewing will be appearing on the new BBC One series of Dragons’ Den on April 8th. Co-founders Jason Clarke and Charlie Craig will face the formidable Dragons in search of £120,000 of equity funding to grow their craft beer business.
Genius Brewing is now in its fourth year as an Official Fundraising Partner of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation donating 5p from every can of their Gen!us Craft Lager to help raise funds to find a cure for this devastating disease and make grants to people living with MND.
Last year, filming of the iconic BBC show was interrupted by COVID. The Genius team were due to film in Manchester in July, but lockdown restrictions saw production postponed until September. It was a nerve-wracking experience recalled Jason Clarke -
“As a former TV director, I wasn’t fazed by the filming environment but pitching to the Dragons is another matter. When the lift doors open and you are suddenly faced by Peter, Deborah, Touker, Tej and Sara, the pressure is definitely on.”
Charlie Craig, co-founder, and the company’s Operations Director, knew that preparation was critical -
“It’s well known the Dragons like to drill into your numbers and so we prepped thoroughly; turnover, margins, you name it, and with the cameras rolling, and the Dragons firing questions left and right, there was certainly no place to hide!”
Launched in 2018 by Charlie Craig and Jason Clarke, a former teammate of Doddie’s, Genius Brewing is on a mission to make healthier drinking a pleasure not a compromise. Their Gen!us Craft Lager is, the UK’s first light craft lager, is 3% ABV and 79 calories per can.
Genius Brewing had a resilient 2020. With COVID hitting the hospitality industry, the company pivoted to ecommerce, launching on Amazon and selling direct via their own website.
“2020 was a tough year for the industry,” notes Clarke, “But with lockdowns now easing and the trend for healthier drinking growing strongly, we’re optimistic about 2021.”
Genius Brewing are Official Fundraising Partners of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, donating 5p from every can of Gen!us to support Doddie’s mission to tackle Motor Neuron Disease.https://www.myname5doddie.co.uk/
The company is referred to as ‘Genius Brewing’. The beer is ‘Gen!us Craft Lager’ with the ! instead of a letter I or can be shortened to just ‘Gen!us’.
For more information visitwww.geniusbrewing.com or contact jason@geniusbrewing.com
