PNE Enterprise first met entrepreneur Liam Watson in November 2013, supporting him to secure a Start Up Loan and providing business mentoring to help him get his business, which was then called Natty Drinks, up and running. Fast forward two years and Canny Milk is available in over 300 stores and is celebrating a huge milestone, after securing a deal to join the drinks menu of Virgin Trains up and down the country.
The drinks will appear on Standard Class trollies and also alongside celebrity chef James Martin’s new luxury First Class food offerings.
The gluten free milkshakes, available in vanilla, banana, chocolate and strawberry, use Red Tractor milk and get their healthy status from their use of vegetable and plant based products instead of the artificial colourings and thickeners traditionally used in flavoured milk products. Liam initially set up the business when he saw a gap in the market for a ‘clean’ milkshake, and on its launch, the product was the UK’s first commercially available 100% natural milkshake.
One of the drinks’ charms, apart from being a healthy milkshake option, is the distinctively cheeky voice the team have given their products. Attention grabbing phrases such as “Yes, I saw you looking, we all did” and, “Just so you know, you’re staring at my backside” feature on every carton.
Liam said: “It’s great that Virgin Trains has signed-up to sell Canny Milk on-board its trains. As a start-up business, it’s just amazing to have this opportunity for people using Virgin Trains to buy my product.”
Ali Watson, Virgin Trains customer experience director on the east coast, said: “We’ve completely refreshed the products offered to customers in Standard Class, and we’re delighted to be able to bring flavours and tastes from producers on our route to our on board offer, including Liam’s delicious, new drink.”
In BQ last month, Liam offered his advice to budding entrepreneurs hoping to take on their own start-up journey, commenting, “Have fun, be honest, treat people with respect, take risks, ask lots of questions and challenge the norm!”
