A crowdfunding campaign with Magda Gessler that raised PLN 2.54M in 45 days
We ran the communication for Mazurska Manufaktura Alkoholi's crowdfunding campaign with Magda Gessler as its ambassador — PLN 2.54M raised, 1,010 new shareholders, and 3rd place in the history of Beesfund offerings.
Our client
Mazurska Manufaktura Alkoholi is a craft alcohol producer based in Szczytno in Masuria — alongside Bielik vodka and Jurand beer, it develops its own line of craft vodkas and nalewki (traditional fruit liqueurs), among them Czysta Wódka, Kwaśna Wiśnia, Rzeska Pigwa, Bimber z Galindii, and Likier Jajeczny. The brand builds its identity around Masurian tradition, Polish ownership, and craft production quality.
In 2019 the company decided to run a crowdfunding campaign on the Beesfund platform, inviting Poles to invest together in the brand's growth under the line "Craft isn't just beer!" — pairing investor communication with the promotion of its new high-proof craft spirits.
The challenge
Social Lama's brief was to plan and run the communication for Mazurska Manufaktura Alkoholi's crowdfunding campaign — on an extremely tight timeline and under strict legal limits on advertising spirits.
- Reaching investors effectively within the extremely short window of the raise.
- Running the crowdfunding campaign's communication in line with the legal restrictions on advertising spirits.
- Successfully promoting the new high-proof craft spirits, underlining their local roots and answering what consumers were asking for.
Results
Beesfund
Media
Brand ambassador
Our approach
Campaign strategy and materials
We built the communication around the line "Craft isn't just beer!" — drawing on the growing, research-backed awareness Poles bring to choosing alcohol and on the wave of the craft revolution in the beer market. We went for transparent communication, a local Masurian story, substantive discussion, and broad reach across four target groups: the local community, craft alcohol enthusiasts, individual investors, and the ambassador's engaged fans.
We designed a consistent visual language for social media along with print materials — banners and flyers — and supported it all with a shareholder contest offering dinner with Magda Gessler as the prize, an investor webinar, and promotion at industry conferences and congresses.
Magda Gessler — the face of the campaign
The well-known restaurateur Magda Gessler joined the raise herself, becoming a shareholder with a stake worth PLN 401,625.00 in total. As she put it: "I value our Polish traditions and family businesses."
Working with the ambassador, we ran intensive communication on her own channels — from inviting her fans to join the shareholders, to the contest with dinner with Magda Gessler as the prize.
Media reach and opinion leaders
Magda Gessler's investment echoed widely in the media — outlets including Pudelek, Super, money.pl, Gazeta.pl, HoReCa Trends, and the local wyborcza.pl Olsztyn wrote about her entry into the ranks of Mazurska Manufaktura Alkoholi's shareholders.
The investment also pulled in opinion leaders on social media — local bloggers and influencers kept amplifying the campaign and the brand's growth, extending its reach beyond its own channels.
The campaign's business success
We ran the crowdfunding campaign between May 17 and July 1, 2019, reaching investors in an extremely short window and building awareness of the brand's new high-proof craft spirits.
The success of the raise put it in 3rd place in the history of crowdfunding offerings on the Beesfund platform, and among the ten largest crowdfunding offerings in Poland.
