Celebrity pair among backers of Sugarloaf Beverage firm

CLONDALKIN native Brian Ormond and his wife Pippa O’Connor Ormond are among the latest backers of the Sugarloaf Beverage Company, an Irish vodka start up company.

Radio and TV presenter Ormond and O’Connor, a former model who formed her own fashion brand, were joined by a number of figures from the hospitality industry in a funding round that raised close to €400k.

The celebrity pair own clothing company POCO, and O’Connor Ormond has taken on a director role at Sugarloaf.

Sugarloaf owns the Istil 38 Irish vodka brand which was founded in 2021 by Shane Davey, Niall O’Dwyer and John Reynold.

Having worked for both Diageo and Irish distillers Shane saw a gap in the market for a premium Irish vodka.

The latest funding will allow the brand to target the UK as well and expand its production facilities.

Among the recent investors were Reberry Ltd, run by Michael Stafford, who invested €330,000.

Stafford launched O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey last year. Tesltar Investments Ltd the Murray Group investment vehicle behind Jimmy Rabbittes and Fibber Magees, pitched in with €40,000.

Speaking with the Sunday Independent, Shane Davey – managing director of the Sugarloaf Beverage Company – said the new investment would be used to continue growing the Istil 38 brand, which is now stocked in around 300 to 400 Irish pubs.