By Zandile Majavu
AP Craft Gin makers are flipping the script on the conventional barriers of traditional Gin with a variety of flavor-composed drinks that shift away from the usually overly abundant focus on Juniper.
Vodacom’s marketing manager Alexandra du Sart- Dennison launched AP Gin with business partner, Peter Boraine who Is a business solutions consultant after du Sart- Dennison expressed her interest in starting her brand of Gin.
“We met through a mutual friend more than 10 years ago and later on connected again on Facebook. Peter has always been entrepreneurial and is already established across various other business industries. When I expressed my desire to consider a start-up, he approached me with the idea to sell craft GIN after meeting our now distillery partner at a conference,” Alexandra du Sart-Dennison said.
Du Sart- Dennison and Boraine’s AP Gin brand established the 8 distilled bottle times bottle which is produced and bottled locally in Cape Town. They describe the bottle as a “Westernised Gin,” characterized by the flavour profile being “a shift away from the usually overly abundant focus on Juniper.
“The Gin is timelessly bottled with a surprising twist in softness not expected from conventional Gin, which can be attributed to the equal parts of juniper berries, lemongrass, and cucumber. The name represents the founders where “A” is for Alex and “P” is for Peter. The branding embodies the flavour composition which is pleasing enough to have on the rocks or with your favourite mixer,” Du Sart- Dennison and Boraine told Vutivi News.
While AP is still in its infancy phase, Du Sart- Dennison said that the final product is licensed bottled, labelled, and export-ready as they are in the process of building their website.
In addition to that AP has recently been introduced to one of the largest retailers as a trial to gauge customer interest. If successful, then the product will be rolled out into more stores.
“We have engaged with numerous stakeholders on distribution including restaurant/club owners and are now engaging with listing companies that promote brands to the alcohol retail market,” she added.
One of the main challenges that Du Sart-Dennison and Boraine continue to face is breaking into the retail market.
“While many GIN drinkers are more susceptible to trying a new brand, there are still consumers that go by the “old and trusted.” Consumers also typically struggle in differentiating between craft GIN vs traditional dry GIN. In this industry contacts are critical. We initially started by selling directly to the public to gauge interest and to gain insight on consumer’s perception of the quality, standard, and taste. We continue to tweak our strategy based on consumer feedback,” Boraine said.
For SMMEs that are endeavoring to venture into the alcohol industry, Du Sart- Dennison and Boraine advise that partner with a trusted and reputable distiller.
“Be creative, GIN is one of the very few products that allow you to play around with different formulations, so you can create your unique taste. Ensure that you have the right contacts to get your product into the market. Like with all new business ventures, make sure that your business case is solid – Do your homework! This is a tough industry to penetrate,” Du Sart- Dennison said.
