Global investors go BOS for Ice Tea
Cape Town-based organic ice tea brand BOS received a significant boost with major investment from Invenfin, the venture capital arm of local investment group Remgro, and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The name BOS is derived from the classic South African slang term "Bossies" - meaning crazy, wild - but it also stands for Rooibos, the key herbal tea ingredient. It's indicative of the irreverence that founders Grant Rushmere and Richard Bowsher have infused into the brand. BOS draws on African mythology from the San, Egyptian and West African peoples. Using the symbols of the lion and the star Sirius, the packaging epitomises a modern and lighthearted take on African culture.
"The BOS ice tea range is high quality and healthy, and we believe it is well positioned to address the global trend towards healthier soft drinks," says Joe Kieser, Director of Invenfin, who has joined the BOS board since the investment. BOS is a natural drink - completely preservative, caffeine and colourant-free, manufactured from organic Rooibos, which is well known for its high anti-oxidant levels and healing properties.
Since it first entered the market, BOS has committed to planting and maintaining one indigenous tree in underprivileged and under-greened areas for every 2000 cans sold. It is currently researching ways in which it could become a carbon-neutral business in the future.Klipopmekaar Farm, where the Rooibos for the drinks is farmed, is at the forefront of organic Rooibos farming and green agriculture. The project practices conservation tillage, has installed solar power and implemented environmentally conscious design, uses entrenched recycling systems and is initiating on-farm and industry-wide conservation projects.
Bowsher says, "We are proud to be associated with such heavyweights as Invenfin and Sir Alex Ferguson. We believe their investment in BOS is confirmation that the brand has huge potential, and has further reinforced our determination to establish BOS both locally and internationally."
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Comment by George Gombay on November 7, 2011 at 12:29 -
If BOS wants to sponsor tree-planting and at the same time earn carbon credits to offset any CO2 they might be generating, they could do worse than consider planting some spekboomwhich is fast gaining a great reputation for its potential in combatting global-warming.(There is some good science to support this reputation of the spekboom.)
By the way, does your article imply that Sir Alex Ferguson is to be counted now among the VC fraternity, or was this participation of his just a one-time deal, possibly because of some personal interest in BOS?
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