Entrepreneur who hails from Coleraine agrees merger with JJ Double Gold in multi-million-pound deal
A Coleraine-born businesswoman whose family once made headlines by running their way into the record books has secured a multi-million-pound investment to accelerate the growth of her successful UK wellness brand, HempWell Ltd.
Lisa McWilliams, CEO of Hempwell, has agreed a landmark deal with JJ Double Gold, the fitness and recovery natural nutrients brand co-founded by double Olympic taekwondo gold medallist Jade Jones OBE and technology entrepreneur Richard Groves, of Active Digital.
JJ Double Gold has acquired an equity stake in HempWell in a move that will see a phased multi-million-pound investment over the next three years to accelerate HempWell Ltd’s growth ten-fold with the projected valuation of £10 million by 2029.
The investment will support a significant expansion of HempWell’s production capabilities and a major overhaul of its manufacturing infrastructure. Plans also include the introduction of cutting-edge technology for a dedicated nutraceutical gummy production line.
The move will enable the business to diversify into new markets and broaden its product portfolio beyond CBD, with opportunities across mental health, women’s health, sports performance and recovery. The partnership will also support increased investment in branding and wider marketing activity as the business enters its next phase of growth.
For Lisa McWilliams, who grew up in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, the deal marks a significant new chapter in the business she has built with her husband, Phil James, over the past seven years.
Lisa is one of nine sisters from a family that made headlines in 2005 when eight of the siblings ran the Flora London Marathon together, raising thousands of pounds for children's charity Childhood First. The sisters, who were living across three continents at the time, trained in locations including New York, Hong Kong, London, Dublin and Portstewart before completing the marathon together.
Lisa’s family has a successful track record in business and were behind the well-established local company, the Salmon Leap. She has since forged her own path in creating one of the UK’s leading privately owned CBD wellness businesses which has built its reputation around transparency, natural ingredients and customer-focused service.
Lisa McWilliams, CEO of HempWell Ltd, explained: “This investment is a major milestone for HempWell. Coming from a family with a strong commercial background I’m proud to have built a strong, trusted brand alongside Phil and am looking forward to taking the business to the next level.
“The partnership with Jade and Richard brings together complementary expertise, investment and ambition. It gives us the resources to significantly increase our manufacturing capability, accelerate product development and enter new markets, while remaining true to our core values.
The use of AI and the integration of cutting-edge technology will become more prominent in the future growth of the business, led by Richard Grove’s digital consultancy business, Active Digital.
Phil James, Director of HempWell, said: “Technology and AI will play an increasingly important role in future-proofing the business, allowing us to scale efficiently as we grow. From production and fulfilment through to how we understand and serve our customers, there are huge opportunities to use technology to make HempWell even more efficient and responsive.