From Start-Up To Scaling: How Bar Buoy Built A Coastal Cocktail Brand

From cocktails mixed by the sea to navigating the highs and lows of scaling, Tim & Ria’s story is proof that you don’t need all the answers to grow a brand with heart.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Tim and Ria, co-founders of Bar Buoy Cocktails, proudly crafted on the Devon coast. We dig into provenance, quality, seasonality, and the reality of learning as you go when building a drinks brand.

Here’s what we cover:

• The spark behind Bar Buoy and why it all started with Margarita Fridays!
• How provenance, quality ingredients, and the South West coast shape their brand
• The realities of growth - from bottling in their kitchen to scaling production and launching cans
• Why seasonality impacts everything (and why Q4 prep always feels like a sprint)
• The biggest lessons they’d share with other founders still figuring things out

If you’ve ever felt like you’re building a food or drink brand without a polished playbook, this conversation will resonate. Tim & Ria show that values, persistence, and learning on the job can be just as powerful as strategy.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Explore Bar Buoy Cocktails and follow their journey @bar_buoy
• Download our free guide: The Email Playbook – How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)
• Want tailored support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Join the Food Marketing Club for weekly support, resources & live training

If this episode resonated, hit subscribe, leave a review, and tag @kwmarketinguk – we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth!