Distiller Magazine: Adventures in Co-Packing
Distiller Magazine | Winter 2020 | Written by Donald Snyder
In 2013, Caitlyn Krug moved to Spain after graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles. She aspired to work in the hospitality and tourism industry and took a job as a bartender in the Basque Country region. It was there that she experienced a whole new world of premium craft cocktails. She learned what good gin could be and saw the growth in demand for provincial spirits and locally inspired cocktail programs. Caitlyn returned home to the US and joined the corporate world. Five years later, a spontaneous trip to a local art show inspired her to venture out on her own to bring a piece of Spanish-inspired gin culture to the US.
For the past year, Krug has been working to create her own brand of gin using Spanish botanicals. She wants to educate consumers about Spanish drinking culture and bring Spanish-style gin and tonic programs to local bars. But Krug doesn’t want to open her own distillery; she would prefer to be a brand owner, focusing her energy on working with bars, restaurants and consumers. Her corporate experience consulting with large sales teams could give her an advantage in the competitive craft spirit industry. She wants to be the person in bars doing events and building programs, not necessarily the person running the still.
As with all successful brand owners, Krug has done her homework. She attended an ADI conference to learn about available resources, vendors and workshops. She established her brand’s core values, which include prioritizing working with women-owned businesses. She has chosen her base of operations in New Orleans because the craft cocktail scene is hot and growing there. After researching various bottle types, Caitlyn found a packaging development firm to create a label that reflects her company’s message and branding goals. In order to keep labor cost down and quality assurance up, she is also researching screen printing and working to find a bottle decorator.
To develop the gin itself, Krug connected with the team at Spirit Works Distillery in California. After working with the distiller remotely, she traveled there for a few days to distill and experiment until she found her ideal formulation. Caitlyn has identified sources for her base neutral spirit, finalized her packaging, locked down her raw material supply chains, developed her sales and marketing plan and identified her target market. All she needs now is a local co-packer.
Read the rest of the article at https://distilling.com/distillermagazine/adventures-in-co-packing/