From family kitchen to Tesco shelves: How JBN Beverages is shaking up the drinks industry

Growing up in a large family, Janet Theodore’s mother didn't buy cartons of juice; she made her own drinks from scratch. Today, Janet has turned that family tradition into JBN Beverages, a plant-based brand producing natural drinks with "no nasties".

With her signature grape juice winning over everyone from Gen Z to customers with diabetes, Janet’s transition from food safety expert to business owner is a true success story.

‍From a world of “no” to a quick “yes”

Janet had already poured her heart, soul, and significant personal savings into perfecting her recipes. But when she needed that final boost to scale, she hit a wall with traditional lenders.

"It's been a journey and a half and the toughest thing has been securing finance," Janet says. "We tried so many people, high street banks and financial institutions. They would say they could do it, then they couldn't. Everyone was saying no."

We were thrilled to say yes. Janet used an iwoca loan to fund vital product testing and ingredients. This small but mighty boost was the enabler she needed to impress a buyer at Tesco, leading to a contract that saw JBN go live on their digital shelves.

"We have had some incredibly exciting developments and have now signed contracts with Sysco and Tesco.com. Thanks to the funding we received from iwoca, we completed all of our product testing ahead of launch." — Janet Theodore, Co-Founder of JBN Beverages

Speedy support for a growing brand

In business, timing is everything. Janet needed a partner who could move as fast as she does. Our lending technology accelerates the approval process, and our expert underwriters ensure every decision is made with care and precision to the pace real SMEs need.

"The funds were in the day after we applied," Janet recalls. "We would definitely use them again for working capital."

JBN isn't slowing down. They are now expanding distribution into Germany, France, and the US, with plans for a manufacturing plant across the pond.

Whether it’s her vibrant Caribbean range or the "JBN effect" (where a sip might just turn your hair green!), Janet is proving how much a small business can achieve when they have access to flexible working capital. With a team of ten and a healthy children’s range in the works, she's just getting started.

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