Kent Diversification Award Finalist: Wild Box

In 2019 Wild Box began life as a horse box bar on a mission to showcase Kent spirits and other produce at private and corporate events.

Since then, the business has grown rapidly and expanded its offering to include mobile bars, home delivery cocktail kits, virtual and in-person cocktail masterclasses and consultancy. Additionally, Wild Box has two permanent bars on Folkestone Harbour Arm, one of which has recently been expanded and refurbished. Throughout its journey, Wild Box has stayed true to its mission of showcasing Kent produce, working closely with local breweries and distilleries to source the finest artisan spirits and produce a unique range of premium cocktails.

The popularity of the Wild Box brand led to many different opportunities, including being approached by Ashford Designer Outlet to set up our horse box there for the Christmas period, where we retailed cocktail kits and hot festive drinks.

By April 2021, we were regularly delivering physical cocktail classes and bespoke bars at private events, corporate events and weddings. At this time, an opportunity arose for us to open a Wild Box bar on Folkestone’s Harbour Arm, which quickly became renowned for its amazing cocktails, created from the finest Kentish spirits.

Off the back of the bar’s success, we were then offered another bar in the Goods Yard on the Harbour Arm. Our bars have been so successful that this year we have been given a much larger premises there, to turn into a full-size cocktail lounge in which we will continue to showcase Kent’s wonderful spirits and fresh produce.

Demand for our bespoke bars and cocktail classes is ever-increasing, as is interest from venues and other businesses who wish to have the Wild Box brand associated with their events and services. Through creative diversification we have established a highly successful business and well-known brand, with far more scope than anyone could have imagined during its humble beginnings as “just another horse box”

In 2020 Wild Box Events was less than a year old when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which resulted in all
of our events for the year being rescheduled for 2021. At this point, we faced the grim prospect that our fledgling business may not survive to see its first birthday.

However, believing in Wild Box and its mission, we were determined to diversify and create a viable business that would showcase Kentish spirits and other produce. We began creating gift boxes of Kentish spirits and products that quickly evolved into DIY cocktail kits, which ultimately led to the delivery of virtual cocktail classes to hundreds of people through private functions and corporate events.

Our success in diversifying the business to accommodate the constraints of the pandemic saw the brand’s popularity grow rapidly and, as restrictions began to ease, demand for Wild Box showed no signs of slowing down.