UK’s Panther M*lk plans European expansion

The oat milk-based ready-to-serve cocktail maker looks to launch in German and Spanish markets from next year.

Fiona Holland

Scottish plant-based cream liqueur brand Panther M*lk is intending to expand into new European markets next year.

The group plans to enter Germany and Spain from 2025.

Just Drinks has asked the company to confirm whether it intends to sell in both on- and off-premise.

In the past 12 months the oat milk-based cocktail maker has increased on- and off-trade distribution points from 100 to 600.

Panther M*lk is currently sold in over 250 on-trade locations in Scotland and other major UK cities including Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Liverpool.

It is also available in retail including Asda and Co-op locations in Scotland and is due to launch in Sainsbury's from the end of the month "in selected Scottish stores".

The business also intends to list in "additional major high street retailers" within the next year.

Panther M*lk originally launched in 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland as a pop-up bar which sold an oat-milk based version of the Spanish cocktail Leche de Pantera, originally made with gin and condensed milk.

While the Glasgow pop-up shut in 2019, founder Paul Crawford decided to launch the drink as a brand the following year.

The ready-to-serve bottled cocktail is comprised of four SKUs, which include the flavours Crema, Menta, Café, and Rosa.

In 2022, Crawford agreed to sell a 25% stake in the business to British entrepreneur Deborah Meaden for £50,000 ($64,414), but the deal never went through.

Today, Crawford holds a 55% stake in the company, with the remainder of shares owned by private investors and employees.

That same year, Panther M*lk also received a £75,000 funding package from UK accountancy and business advisory group Johnston Carmichael.

In a statement, founder Paul Crawford said: "The last two years have been transformational for Panther M*lk and that is set to grow in 2025 with new opportunities in overseas markets, led by a team of well-respected figures from across Scotland’s food and drink industry."

Crawford added: "The landscape of the drinks industry has evolved significantly since we started. Consumers are more health-conscious and environmentally aware, and Panther M*lk sits comfortably within these trends as a lower abv, plant-based option.

"Entrepreneurs must embrace feedback, welcome change and consistently evolve their brand in response to these changing consumer habits.”

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