What Franklin & Sons does

Franklin & Sons is a UK-based beverage company founded in 1886 that produces and sells premium tonic waters, mixers, soft drinks, and sodas under the "Pioneers of Flavour" brand. The product portfolio spans four categories — Tonic & Mixers (including Premium Indian Tonic Water, Elderflower & Cucumber Tonic, Rosemary & Black Olive Tonic, Mallorcan Tonic), Soft Drinks (1886 Original Lemonade, Rose Lemonade), Sodas (Ginger Ale, Pink Grapefruit Soda), and Pre-Mixed Canned Cocktails — all formulated with 100% natural ingredients and no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. Inputs are vertically sourced from British sugar farmers and Staffordshire spring water.

The company sells through two primary channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop powered by Good Time In (goodtimein.co.uk) for UK home delivery, and the on-trade channel supplying bars, restaurants, and hospitality venues across the UK. An international site (franklinandsons.com) signals intent to reach consumers beyond the UK. Marketing is content-led, centred on a cocktail finder tool, recipe content, and social media engagement on Instagram.

Franklin & Sons operates as a subsidiary of Global Brands Ltd, a UK-registered holding entity (Companies House Reg: 03366749). The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds, no management team information, and operates with 11-50 employees from its headquarters in Rickmansworth, UK. Revenue figures, customer concentration metrics, and AI/technology capabilities are not disclosed in the available source data.

Name

Franklin & Sons

Legal name

Global Brands Limited

Website

https://franklinandsons.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Franklin & Sons is a UK-based beverage company founded in 1886 that produces premium tonic waters, mixers, soft drinks, and pre-mixed canned cocktails sold to UK consumers via e-commerce and to bars and restaurants via the on-trade channel, operating as a subsidiary of Global Brands Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Mixers and Tonics

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcoholic Beverage Mixers & Cocktail Ingredients Brands (Non-alcoholic) (CRADAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beverage Concentrates, Syrups & Mixers Wholesale (AFAIAGAF), Still Soft Drinks & Flavored Waters (Non-Carbonated) (AFAFABAB), Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB), Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Alcoholic Beverage Production (Canned Cocktails, Hard Seltzer) (AFAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Premium tonic water
• Cocktail mixers
• Craft soft drinks
• Soda beverages
• Pre-mixed cocktails

Headquarters

HQ city

Rickmansworth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Franklin & Sons operates an online shop (powered by Good Time In) selling their range of tonics, mixers, sodas, and pre-mixed cans directly to consumers in the UK, with delivery to home addresses.
2. On-Trade / B2B: Franklin & Sons products are sold to bars and restaurants across the UK, placing their mixers in the on-trade hospitality channel.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Franklin & Sons manufactures and sells a range of premium beverages including tonic waters, cocktail mixers, soft drinks, sodas, and pre-mixed canned cocktails under a brand heritage dating back to 1886. The company distributes its own labeled products through a UK direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop and through the hospitality on-trade channel.

Product overview

Franklin & Sons is a British beverage company founded in 1886, offering a portfolio of premium tonics, mixers, soft drinks, and sodas. The product line consists of four main categories: Tonic Water & Mixers (including Premium Indian Tonic Water, Elderflower & Cucumber Tonic, Rosemary & Black Olive Tonic, and Mallorcan Tonic), Soft Drinks (such as 1886 Original Lemonade and Rose Lemonade), Sodas (including Ginger Ale and Pink Grapefruit Soda), and Pre-Mixed Cans. All products are characterized by natural ingredients, no artificial colors or flavorings, and expert flavor balance. The brand targets both consumers purchasing for home entertaining and the hospitality trade (bars and restaurants), positioning itself as 'Pioneers of Flavour' with over 135 years of heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tonic & Mixers Range of premium tonic waters and cocktail mixers including Indian Tonic Water, Elderflower & Cucumber Tonic, Rosemary & Black Olive Tonic, and Mallorcan Tonic. Designed to complement spirits and elevate cocktails, available to both UK consumers and the hospitality on-trade.
• Soft Drinks Non-alcoholic beverages including 1886 Original Lemonade and Rose Lemonade, crafted with natural ingredients and designed as mixers for various spirits.
• Sodas Carbonated soft drinks including Ginger Ale and Pink Grapefruit Soda, featuring natural flavors and the perfect amount of fizz, suitable as standalone drinks or cocktail mixers.
• Pre-Mixed Cans Ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktail cans combining Franklin & Sons mixers with spirits in a convenient format.
• Premium Indian Tonic Water The brand's signature tonic water made with natural quinine, designed to pair with gin and other spirits.
• 1886 Original Lemonade A classic lemonade crafted to the original 1886 recipe, featuring natural citrus flavors and refined sugar.
• Elderflower & Cucumber Tonic A floral and refreshing tonic water combining elderflower and cucumber flavors, designed as a mixer with white spirits such as white port.
• Rosemary & Black Olive Tonic A savory and herbaceous tonic featuring rosemary and black olive notes, crafted for complex spirit combinations such as sweet vermouth.
• Mallorcan Tonic A Mediterranean-inspired tonic water with distinctive local flavor influences, paired with vodka in the brand's recipes.
• Ginger Ale A classic ginger-flavored soda with natural ginger notes and balanced sweetness, suitable as a mixer or standalone drink.
• Rose Lemonade A fragrant lemonade infused with rose flavors, offering a floral twist on the classic lemonade recipe.
• Pink Grapefruit Soda A citrusy carbonated drink made with pink grapefruit, suitable as a mixer for cocktails like Paloma.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Good Time IncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranklin & Sons' e-commerce shop is powered by Good Time In (goodtimein.co.uk), which handles order fulfilment and delivery directly to consumers. Good Time In is the operational partner for the D2C channel.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fentimans: A long-established (1905) UK craft mixer and premium soft drinks maker with a comparable heritage-led positioning and natural-ingredient proposition. Fentimans competes head-to-head with Franklin & Sons in UK on-trade mixers, traditional tonics, ginger beer, and premium lemonade SKUs.
• East Imperial: A New Zealand-founded premium tonic and mixer brand with global on-trade distribution. Closely comparable to Franklin & Sons as a craft-positioned mixer specialist targeting the same bartender-led premium serve occasion, with overlapping flavour-led product innovation.
• Q Mixers: A US-based premium mixer brand (tonics, ginger beer, sparkling sodas) emphasising all-natural ingredients and 'less sweet' positioning. Comparable to Franklin & Sons in clean-label mixer philosophy, premium price point, and channel mix spanning DTC, on-trade, and grocery.
• Fever-Tree: The UK-listed global leader in premium mixers and tonics. Directly comparable product portfolio (tonics, ginger beer, flavoured mixers), identical on-trade and off-trade distribution model, and same target consumers (premium spirits drinkers). Fever-Tree is the principal competitor Franklin & Sons must displace or differentiate from in the UK.
• Thomas Henry: A German premium mixer brand (tonics, ginger beer, soda water, lemonades) with strong bar and cocktail culture credentials. Highly comparable as a craft premium mixer brand competing for the same bartender and premium on-trade customer base across European markets.

Broad incumbents

• Britvic: A major UK-listed soft drinks manufacturer (PepsiCo bottler in UK and Ireland) with portfolio brands including J2O, Robinsons, and mixer lines. Comparable as a UK-based broad-line non-alcoholic beverage producer with overlapping distribution channels and customer base.
• AG Barr: The UK-listed soft drinks company behind Irn-Bru, Rubicon, and Funkin mixers. Comparable as a UK-headquartered broad CPG beverage manufacturer with mixer-relevant brand assets (Funkin) and overlapping retail and on-trade channels.
• Schweppes: A historic global soft drinks and mixer brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. Operates broadly across mixers, tonics, ginger ale, and carbonated soft drinks, overlapping directly with Franklin & Sons' portfolio but at a mass-market price tier rather than premium.

Emerging players

• Double Dutch Mixers: An award-winning London-based craft mixer brand competing in the same premium on-trade and DTC mixer space as Franklin & Sons. Comparable flavour innovation, founder-led brand story, and target customer (modern cocktail venues and at-home premium consumers).
• Cawston Press: A UK-based premium soft drinks maker (juice presses, sparkling waters, mixers) with a comparable natural-ingredient positioning and presence in UK on-trade and premium grocery. Overlaps with Franklin & Sons in the craft soft drink and mixer adjacencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/franklinandsons/?hl=en
• Xx.com/franklinandsons
• Facebookfacebook.com/franklinandsons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Franklin & Sons