Olivia Attwood has described her move into the drinks industry as an exciting new chapter, launching Savano as her own premium ready-to-drink cocktail brand.
The television personality and entrepreneur has positioned Savano as a shift from brand ambassador to founder, with the new drinks range created in partnership with drinks company Babco International.
But while Savano officially launched under its new identity in 2026, the story behind the cocktails began before Attwood became involved.
The brand has its roots in Tom Savano Cocktails founded by James Kerslake. Babco acquired the Tom Savano business in March 2026 before relaunching the cocktail range under the shorter Savano name in partnership with Attwood.
That means the 2026 launch represents a new chapter for an existing cocktail business, rather than an entirely new drinks operation created from scratch.
Olivia Attwood's Move From Ambassador to Founder
Attwood, who rose to fame after appearing on Love Island, has spent much of her career working with established brands and fronting advertising campaigns.
Savano represents a different role for the television personality, who has described the move from brand ambassador to founder as an 'exciting new chapter'.
The brand's launch material presents Attwood as the founder of Savano, with Babco involved as its development and distribution partner.
Savano launched with three cocktails: Hot Honey Margarita, Caipirinha and Moscow Mule. The range was made available through selected Sainsbury's stores, Amazon and Savano's own online shop, with the launch price listed at £4 per can.
For Attwood, the venture gives her the opportunity to put her own identity and audience behind a product rather than simply promoting an established brand.
Savano Has Its Roots in Tom Savano
The drinks' history predates the 2026 Savano launch. The original business was known as Tom Savano Cocktails and was founded by James Kerslake. In March 2026, Babco International acquired the business and its cocktail range.
The acquisition was followed by the launch of Savano, with Babco describing the new brand as a relaunch of the former Tom Savano canned cocktail range with a simplified name. This distinction matters when describing Attwood's role.
There is no indication that Attwood founded the original Tom Savano business. Instead, she became involved in the next stage after Babco's acquisition. The result is a drinks brand carrying forward an existing cocktail range while introducing a new identity built around Attwood and her audience.
What Olivia Attwood Actually Founded
The wording surrounding Attwood's role is therefore significant.
Savano's launch material describes the brand as founded by Attwood and developed in partnership with Babco. Attwood has spoken about moving from the role of brand ambassador into that of a founder.
That allows her to be described as a founder of Savano, the current brand launched in 2026. It would be misleading, however, to suggest that she founded Tom Savano or created the original business.
The available information points to two distinct stages of the company's history: Kerslake founded Tom Savano, while Babco subsequently acquired the business and relaunched its cocktail range under the Savano name, with Attwood as a key partner and founder of the new brand.
From Tom Savano to Savano
The connection between the two brands also explains why some of the cocktails may look familiar to customers who remember Tom Savano.
The Savano launch range includes the Hot Honey Margarita and Caipirinha, alongside the Moscow Mule. The relaunch therefore carried elements of the previous cocktail range into the new brand identity.
What changed was not simply the name on the can. With Attwood at the centre of the launch, Savano has been given a new public identity aimed at connecting the drinks with her existing audience.
The partnership also gives Babco an established cocktail range to build on, while Attwood brings her personal brand to the next stage of its development.
A New Chapter for an Existing Cocktail Business
There is more history behind Olivia Attwood's drinks venture than the 2026 launch date might initially suggest.
Attwood is presenting Savano as an important new business chapter and is officially described as the brand's founder. But the cocktails have roots in Tom Savano, the business founded by James Kerslake and acquired by Babco earlier in 2026.
That makes Savano best understood as a newly positioned drinks brand built from an existing cocktail business, rather than a completely new operation created from scratch by Attwood.
Kerslake was behind the original Tom Savano business. Babco acquired that business and subsequently relaunched its cocktail range. Attwood then became a central figure in the new Savano brand, taking on a founder role as part of its 2026 launch.
For consumers discovering Savano on supermarket shelves for the first time, the name and branding may be new. The cocktail business behind some of the drinks, however, had already existed before Attwood's arrival.
