{"id":16953,"date":"2017-11-27T11:21:08","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T18:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/?p=16953"},"modified":"2021-11-10T15:59:29","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T22:59:29","slug":"small-business-success-story-swig-swallow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/small-business-success-story-swig-swallow\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Business Success Story &#8211; Swig + Swallow"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this week\u2019s installment of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/tag\/small-business-success-story\/\">Small Business Success series<\/a> we chatted with April Wachtel of Swig + Swallow about her unique cocktail mixers and her experience of starting a small business through direct-to-customer distribution and customer and one-on-one customer relations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">April purchased a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/banners\/\">vinyl banner<\/a> to display at events and on-site tastings to help promote the Swig + Swallow brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-version=\"7\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BNFqxaCjFGm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;Look at banner, Michael!!&#8221; Our very first banner arrived in the mail today and now we can&#8217;t stop quoting #arresteddevelopment &#x2764;&#xfe0f;&#x2764;&#xfe0f; #cocktails #mixology #swigandswallow #goofy #smallbusiness #entrepreneur<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">A post shared by Swig + Swallow (@swigandswallow) on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2016-11-21T22:14:19+00:00\">Nov 21, 2016 at 2:14pm PST<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" defer=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><b>Tell us about yourself <\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m a passionate rock-climber, cocktail educator, and lover of great food and drink. I have worked for over 20 years in the spirits industry in numerous positions ranging from <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bartender to manager, event planner to spirits brand ambassador and as a consultant. I also host and produce the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moverssshakers.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Movers and Shakers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> podcast, on people and ideas that are changing the beverage industry. I love learning, so I\u2019m always seeking out opportunities that pull me out of my comfort zone and help me build skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16967\" src=\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/GROUP_0149.jpg\" alt=\"April and Gates Swig + Swallow\" width=\"420\" height=\"630\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>April Wachtel and Gates Otsuji of Swig + Swallow<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>What does your company do? <\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.swigandswallow.com\/\">Swig + Swallow<\/a> makes fresh, mixologist-designed cocktail mixers. Our bottles are sold half-full, so customers add the spirit directly to the bottle! Our choice was to start with 6 of the most iconic cocktails &#8211; the Margarita, Moscow Mule, Mojito, Daiquiri, Cosmopolitan and Whiskey Sour. Our syrups are custom-made and all the citrus is freshly-squeezed. We don\u2019t add any preservatives, flavors or color &#8211; our bottles go through a high-pressure processing so this ensures a shelf-life of up to 3 months from production! We also have 2 different sizes &#8211; a 32 ounce, party size \u201chalvsie\u201d mixer that makes 10 cocktails and a cute 8-ounce mini \u201chalvsie\u201d mixer that makes 2 cocktails.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Where did the idea for your company come from?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I spent many years working as a spirits brand ambassador where I had to produce cocktails for large volume, high-profile events. There was so much waste and inefficiency, not to mention the many hours of prep and production it takes to produce consistent, high-quality craft cocktails at volume. I started wondering if there was a better solution. After many years of teaching cocktail classes, I saw that people consistently added too much spirit to their mixer and struggled to obtain the right balance between sweet and citrus. The concept initially began as a batching service &#8211; designing the cocktail menu for each event, preparing large quantities of mixers off-site, and delivering them in large half-full jugs to each event. There was difficulty in this constantly-changing landscape (catering to the individual needs of every different client for each unique event). Finally, (and happily!) we settled on our Swig + Swallow concept, with the 6 different craft cocktail mixers to choose from. This has allowed us to really hone and perfect our recipes, as well as plan for production and meet consistent standards with our products.<\/p>\n<p><b>What is your unique selling proposition?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Our unique selling proposition is two-fold: 1) That these are the highest quality mixers you can find, and 2) that we sell our bottles half-full for convenience and portability. Our vision was to eliminate the need for any measuring tools, to strike the right balance between sweet and citrus, and foolproof the craft cocktail-making process. There is no faster more convenient way to make craft-quality cocktails, period.<\/p>\n<p><b>What is one strategy for gaining customers that you have been successful with?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have found on-site tastings to be very useful in promoting engagement with our product. Since our concept is unique and we are a new brand, consumers don\u2019t always know what to expect when they hear about our mixers. We find that once consumers get to taste the product, they love it and they buy it.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-version=\"7\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 62.40740740740741% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BTO4VL9hAMK\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Today and today only (from 4-6pm) these two crazy cats will be serving cocktails with yummy Swig + Swallow mixers at Food52&#8217;s pop up market, the Big Spring Spruce-Up! . . The event is open to the public, and is at Food52&#8217;s HQ at 122 W 26th st, 8th Floor. Come say hi:) . Valid 21+ ID is required for service.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">A post shared by Swig + Swallow (@swigandswallow) on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2017-04-23T15:14:20+00:00\">Apr 23, 2017 at 8:14am PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" defer=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><b>Is there an area that you&#8217;ve struggled with in regards to customer acquisition that you believe is critical to future success? If so, how are you overcoming that?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since our product is sold half-full, it has been somewhat of a challenge to give customers the assurance that the product has been unopened, and is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">intended<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be half-full. The instructions are clearly marked on the bottle, but it is still a new concept we are introducing to the market. This year we designed little bottle tags that you flip over to indicate that the bottle has been \u2018filled with spirit\u2019. We are also looking into tamper-evident seals, to further indicate that the product has been unopened. We really want our consumers to know that the half-filled bottle is intentional.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What is one of the biggest challenges you have had with your business and how did you overcome it?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of our biggest challenges has been the labeling of our bottles. For the first year, we hand-applied all the labels using heat guns! It was incredibly time-consuming and once the product got very cold or wet, the labels did not quite stand the test of time. That has been quite an ongoing challenge. We have finally arrived at a new label printing solution. We\u2019re still working out the kinks of the design, but we are excited to be on a new path and no longer spending days applying the labels by hand!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you could rewind time is there anything you&#8217;d do differently? If so, what?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not really. If we had lots of money to spend from the start, we\u2019d be in a different place, but we\u2019re very happy about where we\u2019ve gotten in this much time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you had advice for other SMB owners, regardless of the industry, what would it be?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay positive and keep going. There will always be numerous challenges that arise and sometimes take longer to overcome than you would like. I have found it helpful to keep an open mind &#8211; whether it means re-evaluating our concept, by seeking outside advice from industry friends or mentors, or just to re-invest in what my experience has taught me. Just because a product does not immediately take off, does not mean it is not valuable. Sometimes (especially in the beverage industry), there can be a steep learning curve in order to educate consumers about a \u2018new\u2019 product. I also think finding the right distribution channels is key. It is all really trial and error, but we keep going because we truly believe in what we do, and we know it\u2019s going to be a success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How do you &#8220;WOW&#8221; your customers?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We wow our customers by crafting really delicious, consistent craft-quality cocktail mixers. We really pride ourselves on creating the freshest, cocktail mixers, that can be enjoyed on-the-go or in the convenience of your home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What do you think the future holds for your business?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve already got a solid presence online, and we\u2019re really excited to enter more foodservice and retail stores and build our national distribution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Without sharing detailed financials can you speak to your growth to this point and why you think it will continue? <\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our product is a funny one. We have been building traction in our DTC channel, as well as in foodservice, but for us, the main indicator of the validity of the idea is that people\u2019s eyes light up when they understand the concept, and when they taste it, they buy it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can we find you online?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.swigandswallow.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">www.swigandswallow.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/swigandswallow\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/swigandswallow\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moverssshakers.com\/\">Movers and Shakers Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Editor&#8217;s Note: We really appreciate April and her willingness to give insight into her experience as a small business owner. Taking over 20 years of experience in the spirits industry and putting into practice by creating a unique product isn&#8217;t easy but she&#8217;s been able to &#8216;shake&#8217; up the industry. Focusing on convenience and quality of the product has helped Swig + Swallow craft a recipe for success. Going to on-site tasting events allows the brand to interact directly with customers &#8211; this is especially perfect for a brand that do-it-yourself craft cocktails. Through positivity and patience, April has been able to overcome challenges in entering a saturated industry. As she plans to\u00a0expand the presence of Swig + Swallow through national distribution channels, April has been able to utilize DTC (direct-to-consumer) channels to grow the company. We can&#8217;t wait to see\u00a0 Swig + Swallow\u00a0continue to make waves and cocktails in the spirits industry!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this week\u2019s installment of our Small Business Success series we chatted with April Wachtel of Swig + Swallow about her unique cocktail mixers and her experience of starting a small business through direct-to-customer distribution and customer and one-on-one customer relations. April purchased a vinyl banner to display at events and on-site tastings to help [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[46,614],"class_list":["post-16953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-small-business","tag-entrepreneur","tag-small-business-success-story"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Small Business Success Story - Swig + Swallow | Signs.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how April Wachtel built a following for Swig + Swallow through attending on-site tasting events and creating a well-maintained online presence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/small-business-success-story-swig-swallow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Small Business Success Story - Swig + Swallow | Signs.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how April Wachtel built a following for Swig + Swallow through attending on-site tasting events and creating a well-maintained online presence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/small-business-success-story-swig-swallow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Signs.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nelsonhjames\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-27T18:21:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-10T22:59:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Cocktail-Mixers-01.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"311\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nelson James\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@nelsonjames\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@signsdotcom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nelson James\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.signs.com\\\/blog\\\/small-business-success-story-swig-swallow\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.signs.com\\\/blog\\\/small-business-success-story-swig-swallow\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nelson James\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.signs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d79ed766dbd7b8813266c78b90442990\"},\"headline\":\"Small Business Success Story &#8211; 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