I Need Your Advice... About Vodka and Wine :)
I am excited to share a new adventure that I am just about to embark on, which is quite different from anything that I've done in the past as a writer!
I will be working with the exclusive representatives of a manufacturer of high quality Russian vodka, comparable to well-known Soviet brand, Stolichnaya (aka Stoli) ... only our vodka has not yet exported to the USA :)
Well, maybe, it's not such a radical departure... After all, some years ago, I did work with an award-winning food and wine magazine, Deli Business and was fortunate to represent the publication in food shows around the United States, while sampling the delicacies that I reviewed.
But, back to new gig, at hand. I will also be representing a high-quality sparkling wine, that was created by the French in the 1800s, and back in the day, only enjoyed by noblemen and royalty!
Both the vodka and sparkling wine (featuring different varieties under the same brand) are already well-established in their local markets --so, no gamble, there-- but, to date, they have not been introduced to America.
Also, as serious drinkers know, where there is alcohol, water should be close at hand. Which is why there is also (big and small bottles of) mineral water that we will be representing, from natural springs in the mountains of Eastern Europe. In the case of water, we don't need a distributor, so I can go straight to the retailers.
As I write this, I've already begun to approach distributors :) Wish me luck and, please, feel free to share your own experiences-- ranging from what you like about vodka and wine or industry tips?
Contrary to popular theory, what’s inside the fire water (aka vodka) is rarely potatoes & mostly ethanol distilled from wheat , rye or corn & diluted with water. If you want to learn more how it’s made, watch this:
Vodka and Wine are not my areas of expertise at all, but I may have an idea still.
For ourselves, the food crate delivery subscriptions that deliver a new weekly box with food has been a massive success for us in terms of introducing us to new foods and recipes that we normally never touched (or even knew about. As old habits die hard, it can be hard for many to go outside of what they're used to and try something new, but this then turned that upside down for us, where we now love trying new things, and then repurchase what we liked the most afterward.
I know that subscription services like this exists in the US where people pay a monthly subscription in order to receive a box of different wines every month. Both for the convenience, but just as much to discover new and exotic wines. Now, there may be some costs involved with getting in the boxes of these companies, as they are basically providing easy promotion for the wine suppliers.
However, they also need to find new and more rare and exotic wines to provide a better experience to their paying customers. So I would imagine that there is still room for a good deal to be made.
In any case, this could reach a lot of people, and those you reach would be those naturally seeking new wine experiences. So perhaps it is worth a shot?
You may want to look up these companies yourself and shoot them a message, here's an overview that I found on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-finds/2017/11/17/best-wine-delivery-subscription-services/
How very interesting; I've never heard of such a thing! Closest I've come is a meal plan called Blue Apron, which might be a little bit like your food crate delivery subscription.
Reading your helpful note outloud and my wife, battling a head cold in the next room and lying down, shouted out that she'd received an advertisement to subscribe to a winemaker in Argentina, suggesting they introduce her to 4 new wines :)
So, I'm off to explore Forbes link you, kindly, provided and I salute you on your healthy (alcohol-free?) lifestyle !
Good luck with your new ventures!
As for vodka, I'm more partial to Polish vodka, which I find far smoother, less harsh, and better balanced than Russian vodkas; in fact, of name brand vodkas, Stoli and Grey Goose are my least favorite vodkas.
Zubrowka is my favorite of all, which is Polish vodka flavored with bison grass, but of course I prefer the real Zubrowka made for the domestic market, as the Zubrowka made for export is nowhere near the same quality or flavor.
And did you know that Polish Spirytus, the equivalent to our grain alcohol, isn't made using potatoes or grains? It has only three ingredients: water, sugar and block yeast. That's it. My husband used to make it when he lived in New York.
The sparkling wine sounds much more interesting to me, and I agree the mineral water sounds like a great addition to the mix, but I have no inside tips or ins with distributors, nor any idea how to go about working with them.
Which is pretty sad, since I've made fine liqueurs for some years now, and I'd love to turn that into a minor side business.
So far I haven't found any of the powers-that-be in Nashville (our state capitol) who seem to understand the relevant regulations, but I'll keep trying, so please wish us luck in our efforts, as I wish you good fortune in yours. ;-)
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Wow, both you and your husband make liqueurs; that's impressive!
You should consider researching distributors, online (here's a start ) and arrange to share some samples with them. Things like importing licenses are a tad trickier but, mercifully, I don't have to deal with those and they've already been squared away.
Best of luck with your efforts and thanks, for your warm note and kind wishes
_/|\_Yeah, we both grew up in families that encouraged us to mess about in the kitchen, and we love cooking and creating together, so making liqueurs was sort of a natural progression.
Additionally, I've been making herbal extracts and tinctures for years, which also lends itself to the process.
He's done more on the distilling and brewing side, making beer and wine as well as high ABV liquor and liqueurs.
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New to the art of cooking, myself, and full of admiration for the creativity, know-how & patience required 🙏🏼
;-)
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Best of luck with this new venture @yahialababidi! Here in the U.S. we have a kind of renaissance going on with micro-brewed beers and spirits. Tattersall is a local distillery that is making some big moves in the spirits business.
For a new brand to get attention they have to stand out from traditional offerings in some way. This attention could be winning a major industry award, a celebrity endorsement, or some kind of health benefit that can be backed by research. The biggest recent success story I can think of is Skinny Girl margaritas, you may want to research their story.
So many products are being paired with the blockchain to prove their origin source, freshness, and/or purity. Volvo just announced they were going to use blockchain to prove the cobalt they use in their EV batteries isn't mined by children. Since you already have access to the blockchain community via Steemit I would say the answer may lie in this vein.
What if you were to put QR codes on each bottle that would use blockchain to allow the consumer to see things like date of bottling, location of bottling, etc? To my knowledge these would be the first alcoholic beverages to do this. If you go this route you could contact crypto conferences and festivals to offer your products to them. You could even make each bottle a kind of NFT and run contests making every 10,000th bottle a prize of some kind that could be redeemed for Bitcoin (or Steem).
Thank you, Eric, for this thoughtful response!
Since I've posted this, some developments... One, a well respected sommelier is willing to sample our wine and possibly carry in his restaurants/recommend to his distributors, so that's obviously major.
But, things seem to be stalling on manufacturer end and I must hold my horses until they sort things out & decide way ahead.
The blockchain connection is a very intriguing one. After around 2 years (on an off), I admit to mixed feelings about good 'ole Steemit --still struggling to find a reliable, sizeable audience here, versus Facebook, say, or Twitter. But, will explore QR codes and contest routes.
Grateful for this brain-strumming session and hope you're thriving in what matters to you
_/|\_It sounds like you're making good progress! It makes me happy to see people follow their dreams and bring them to fruition.
Hopefully the snafu with the manufacturer gets sorted out quickly.
Yes, a lot of people are beginning to use the blockchain now for these purposes. Waltoncoin (no relation to my family) is hoping to find a niche by allowing retailers to prove provenance of their product. The chain lets customers to view the lifecycle of what they're buying on a blockchain, from manufacturing to purchase, so they know what they're buying isn't counterfeit. I see commonly counterfeited luxury brands like Rolex, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. jumping on the bandwagon. This will be amazing for original works of art as well.
Steemit can be tough to build an active audience on these days. Luckily, I got in early when more people actually read posts and were engaged. Unfortunately the engagement for my writing here is getting less and less despite having 10k+ followers. We often joke though that time is compressed on the blockchain though, one year is like a decade anywhere else. I had about a year here (late 2016 through mid-2017) where I had lots of engagement and I'm grateful for that.
I wish you the best of luck on your journey!
I appreciate your goodwill, Eric. You seem like a hard worker, with tenacity. That, with talent and the ability to be a team player (both of which you possess) explains your success, here.
I’m not quite as much of a crypto—enthusiast as you are, but I’m certainly curious & have even begun applying for jobs in blockchain.
Holler if you hear of any suitable,remote work?
Here’s resume
Have a lovely weekend 🙏🏼
Thank you! If I hear of anything I'll let you know. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!
Much appreciated. The weekend looms large on the horizon ... which is enjoyable :)