Confidential — Investment Opportunity
Where influencers become founders. Specialty coffee from the Congo, white-labelled for creators with purpose.
The Problem
They promote other people's brands
Their most valuable asset — audience trust — is being used to build someone else's equity. Every sponsored post makes a brand owner rich and leaves the creator with a one-time fee.
Sponsorship income is fragile
Rate cards, one-off deals, no recurring revenue, no ownership stake. One bad campaign cycle and the income evaporates. There is no asset at the end.
Their audience wants to buy from them
Not through them. From them. Audiences in 2025 don't want to follow a referral link to a stranger's brand. They want to own the creator's product.
The Opportunity
The Solution
Partner
We onboard the influencer as a brand partner. They get their own identity — name, roast profile, packaging, story. Same exceptional DRC beans underneath.
1Launch
They announce to their audience. We handle everything: roasting, fulfilment, customer service, subscription platform. They do what they do best — talk to their people.
2Scale
Every buyer becomes a potential monthly subscriber. Revenue compounds month after month, brand after brand. The flywheel builds with every new partner.
3The Origin Story
Kivu Region, Eastern DRC
High-altitude lake-effect growing conditions produce some of Africa's finest specialty coffee. Cup scores rival Ethiopia and Kenya — at a fraction of the price paid to farmers.
The Arbitrage
DRC coffee currently trades at 30–40% below comparable African origins. That gap closes as the market catches up. Early movers own the origin story.
The Farmer Premium
We pay 25% above market rate at source. Not as a charitable donation — as a structural commitment that guarantees quality and loyalty from producers.
B Corp Commitment
Every bag sold funds something that matters. Common Ground is being built to achieve B Corp certification — because when influencers share this with their audience, it has to be something they're genuinely proud of.
Transparency First
Full origin traceability. Named farmers. Cup scores published.
Impact Measurable
% of each subscription goes directly to community projects in Kivu.
Story That Travels
This is the origin story every influencer needs: real, human, and impossible to fake.
The Numbers
Audience size
Conversion rate
Business Model
Stream 1
Launch Revenue
Every influencer launch generates immediate cash. 1,000 orders at £24 = £24,000 in revenue on announcement day. No cold start. No waiting. The influencer's existing trust converts directly.
Stream 2
Subscription MRR
15–25% of launch buyers become monthly subscribers at £18/month. This compounds brand by brand — by year two, the subscription base is the dominant income stream.
Stream 3
Revenue Share (Inverted)
We pay influencers 20–25% of revenue on their brand. This means our CAC is zero upfront and 100% performance-based. We only pay when we earn. No wasted spend.
Stream 4
B Corp Premium
Certified ethical sourcing allows a 15–20% price premium over generic DTC coffee. This premium is defensible, growing, and impossible to fake. The origin story is the moat.
The Partnership Model
The Agency Founder
Harry Hugo
Founded and exited GOAT Agency — one of Europe's largest influencer marketing agencies. Has the relationships, the capital, and the sector knowledge. A partner here unlocks immediate access to 50+ managed influencer relationships.
Brings
Existing influencer network (UK + EU)
Agency infrastructure and credibility
Investment capital post-exit
The Talent Manager
Charlie Thomas
Represents Eze (Arsenal), multiple Premier League footballers, and potential F1 drivers including connections to Nico Rosberg. Unlocks the premium athlete tier — audiences of millions, luxury positioning, and potential investment from the talent themselves.
Brings
High-profile athlete talent relationships
F1 / Premier League brand credibility
Potential investment from talent partners
The Creator
MealsWithMax
2M+ TikTok followers. Food and lifestyle creator. A natural fit for a premium coffee brand and deeply entrepreneurial. Becomes the proof of concept — and opens the door to his creator network as distribution for brand 2, 3, 4...
Brings
Pilot launch: 2M audience, built-in trust
Creator network introductions
Authentic content + ongoing brand voice
Equity & Valuation
Valuation Framework
Partnership Structure Options
Exit Scenarios (20% stake on £250k)
Roadmap
Phase 1
Validate
Months 1–6
3 pilot brand launches
Prove launch conversion (target: ≥0.8%)
Prove subscription take rate (target: ≥12%)
DRC supply chain + UK fulfilment live
B Corp application initiated
Phase 2
Grow
Months 7–18
Scale to 12–20 brand partners
First ops hire (fulfilment + partnerships)
B Corp certification achieved
Long-term DRC sourcing agreements
Athlete / premium tier launched
Phase 3
Scale
Months 19–36
50+ brand partners across categories
Full team (ops, partnerships, brand)
International expansion (US, EU)
Platform / licensing model
Exit / Series A readiness
At Scale
Strategic acquirer
£60–120M
Major coffee group (JDE Peet's, Lavazza, IAG) acquiring DTC capability + 50 live creator distribution channels. 3–4× revenue multiple.
Creator economy platform
£40–80M
A commerce platform acquiring the influencer brand infrastructure — 50+ exclusive micro-brands, subscription stack, and B Corp provenance story.
Income stream (no exit)
£8M+/yr
At 50 brands with 1M avg audience, net profit north of £8M/year with a compounding subscription base. An exceptional lifestyle and legacy business.
"This isn't just a coffee business. It's a branded distribution platform — 50 influencer channels, one supply chain, one origin story."
Not just capital. Someone who believes that influencers deserve to own their own brands — and that the right story, told at scale, can build something genuinely worth having.
Tom Woollard · Founder, Common Ground
Common Ground. Where influencers become founders.