Sam Owens to take Cambridge wine brand Thirsty into Europe

We talk to Chesterton Road business about expansion

The owner of a Cambridge wine business is to create new jobs in the process of expanding his Thirsty brand all over Europe in the next few years.

Sam Owens, the owner of Le Verre Gourmand UK Limited, who trades under the Thirsty banner on Chesterton Road in the city, also runs a drinks distribution business in the Alps.

He believes the Thirsty brand of wines and craft beers is tailor-made for expansion after buying out his long-term business partner Matthew Boucher.

Sam said: “We have a business in France which sells half-a-million bottles of wine to the French resorts and into Switzerland and Austria.

“The business now turns over three million euros so two years ago, we decided to set up a business in the UK – both an import and export business, and a retail business under the Thirsty brand.

“We set up a retail shop on Chesterton Road and it has been a real hit.

“It is not just wines, there are craft beers and spirits. We do have refillable formats for both beer and wine. Every night there is a different local food truck that comes out, which is completely separate from us.

“But they know how to cook a burger or curry. We know drink and this formula has just struck a chord in Cambridge.

“We are expanding this spring in Cambridge. We are signing an agreement with a location in the city. So we will be creating jobs – we don’t know how many at this stage.

“We should also be opening a site in London in the summer and we are looking to open Thirsty elsewhere in the country in the next one to three years and also overseas.”

Cambridge residents can also enjoy some of their products at the St Patrick’s Day event at Mackays on East Road from 6-11pm on Friday and Saturday, March 17-18.

Thirstyfest-ers will be be able to enjoy a wide range of Thirsty’s drinks at the bar plus a delicious wheat stout ‘Heisse Scheisse Weisse’. This is a special beer Sam brewed with Heavy Industry Brewing in North Wales and Von Freude from Hamburg, Germany. Dark Munich roasted barley, chocolate and wheat malts have been mixed with smoked chipotle to make a unique drink that is certain to go down well.