Charles Rolls came from the gin trade and worked at Plymouth Gin. His co-founder Tim Warrillow came from advertising. Together they decided to fix the mixer rather than the spirit.
The pair founded Fever-Tree in 2004. The name comes from the cinchona tree, which yields quinine and was called the fever tree in India. They sourced quinine from the Congo and launched Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water in 2005, selling first to bars and restaurants.
London & Lochside invested in 2006. Fever-Tree launched in the US and Spain in 2007 and was listed with Sainsbury's and Tesco in 2008. In March 2013 the founders sold 25% to Lloyds Development Capital, and the company listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM in November 2014 at 134p.
A deal with Southern Glazer's in 2018 covered 29 US states. Fever-Tree won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2019 and the King's Award for International Trade in 2022. Revenue was £228.5m in 2024.