What mentoring and business advisory schemes are available for drinks industry founders?

Several formal mentoring programmes exist within the UK drinks industry, though many are focused on specific demographics. **Drinkclusive** (launched by Aidy Smith) focuses on diversity in the industry. **The OurWhisky Foundation** operates a mentoring programme specifically for whisky. **WonderWorks** runs WonderWomen, aimed at women in drinks. **The Drinks Trust** also has a mentor programme. Note that The Drinks Community previously offered mentoring but has recently shut down.

For those outside these categories, members highlight two alternative approaches:

- **All Together** (alltogether.company/advisors/) — a platform not drinks-specific but with many advisors who have founded and run drinks companies, making it relevant for industry experience - **Direct outreach** — Members suggest simply identifying your ideal mentor and asking directly; the worst outcome is a "no," and establishing clear time commitments and KPIs helps structure the relationship

Members also note that informal mentoring within the Kindred Collective itself is available — experienced founders are willing to help other brands scale, so internal networking and direct asks are viable routes.