Start-up with aim to rival global smoothie giant Innocent wins Dragon’s Den-style Pitch Up competition at Venturefest West Midlands

The father and son team behind a flavoured water product have won this year’s fiercely competitive Dragon’s Den-style Pitch Up competition.

Eugene and Ivor Patterson impressed judges at Venturefest in Wolverhampton this week with their ambition to scale the business they have built from a homemade drink inspired by Ivor’s Caribbean roots into a growing high street brand.

They came up with the idea for Revibed Drinks during the Covid lockdowns and now produce their flavoured water from premises in Birmingham city centre. They are already stocked by Ocado, are on the Virgin Atlantic menu and are set to launch nationwide in Holland & Barrett and another major retailer in the coming weeks, alongside a new range of superfood powders.

Winning Pitch Up brings a £15,000 investment, funded by Venturefest WM and a donation from Emeritus Professor at Aston University, Mark Hart. They will also receive unprecedented access to a network of mentors, potential investors, and industry contacts to fuel their ambition of growing their brand to rival global smoothie giant Innocent Drinks.

Eugene said: “Being a co-founder can be a lonely place and winning Pitch Up has unlocked mentorship and meetings with the sort of people you would normally struggle to get time with. And, of course, the £15,000 prize is going to help massively for the business

“We’re going to spend it wisely by investing it into the development of the superfood powder range and turning that into meaningful sales growth for the brand. Success for us is to grow as big as Innocent Drinks. We see them as the champions in the superfood space and we want to do it in a natural and authentic way.”

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Turning a great idea into a successful business takes real grit and determination, and Eugene and Ivor have shown exactly what it takes. They represent the kind of talent and ambition we have in abundance here.

“My Growth Plan will keep backing more entrepreneurs like them, and all the brilliant Pitch Up entrants, to help turn more ideas into thriving businesses and high-quality jobs right here in the West Midlands. We’ve got new government funding on the way to go even further to support the innovators and entrepreneurs who will get our economy firing on all cylinders again.”

After graduating Eugene had the idea of tapping into the growing market for healthy drinks made from natural ingredients and with zero sugar, and set about taking his dad’s homemade drink which mixed together hibiscus, ginger and lime, from the family kitchen and scaling up production.

The Revibed Drinks range now includes three flavours with a growing national network of retailers – but with its roots firmly in his home city.

He said: “I’m born and bred in Birmingham, and I wouldn’t want to do this anywhere else.

“The West Midlands has played a huge role in our journey so far, and we’re proud to be building Revibed here in Birmingham. The ecosystem of founders, mentors, accelerators and investors really does make a difference.”

Venturefest West Midlands is the largest gathering of entrepreneurs and innovators in the region. It is co-hosted by West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, and was this year sponsored by NatWest and Medilink Midlands.

Pitch Up is run by the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Aston University, University of Birmingham Enterprise and Minerva Business Angels, part of the University of Warwick Science Park.

Also chosen to pitch for this year's prize on the day were Motion Dynamics Ltd, Innovation Factory Limited, Fibraxis Limited, Eco Ninjas, Sportworks.io, EVolution Therapeutics Ltd, and MIXD Reality.

Kate Angel, head of business support operations at the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Aston University and Pitch Up Steering Group lead, said: “This year’s Pitch Up competition was outstanding. The event is all about empowering West Midlands business leaders to strengthen their pitching skills and shine a spotlight on their brilliant opportunities, and we definitely achieved that.

“The final was incredibly close; any one of the eight semi-finalists could have claimed a top three spot."