ARTICLE / THE MAKING OF... SERIES
The making of...
Nippers.
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it… well almost a zillion times, ‘Necessity is the mother of jaw-droppingly simple yet ingenious business ideas’. Australian spirit and liqueur label, Nippers is one such JDSYI business idea. With increasing excise, changing drinker habits and a highly competitive category, it would take a brave or foolish person to consider entering the market. But Nippers founders, Evan Vassos, Alexandra Andrianopoulos and Dean Vassos have landed on a little gem of an idea that is taking on the giants. Literally. We caught up with Evan to sample some wares and hear more about his story. This is The making of… Nippers.
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The making of... Series
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#nippers #premiumspirits #minibar #littledrink #aussiebattler #branding #brand #startup #scaleup #passion #founder #founderstory #marketers
G’day Evan. So so so so so… Nippers. We’re already massive fans but for the uninitiated, could you share a little about your what, where and how?
Thanks for the warm intro. So, we’re Nippers and we’re introducing 30ml mini bottles of spirits and alcoholic liqueurs to the great Australian public. When I say ‘mini’, I’m talking about those miniature bottles found in hotel mini-bars around the world.
Having travelled a lot ourselves, we started noticing that virtually all the miniature bottles sold in our country were from global labels. Being imported as 50ml bottles, they were also quite expensive.
Looking more into the market, we found that the government excise tax on alcoholic beverages (spirits) was increasing twice a year (according to the Consumer Price Index - CPI). This was, and still is contributing to higher prices for spirits and liqueurs. That’s when we started thinking about the idea of launching a more affordable, miniature bottle label for the Australian market.
Nippers was born.
Nippers founders Evan Vassos and Alexandra Andrianopoulos
You touched upon your initial research there, what else did you do to arrive at the range you've launched with?
We looked at the whole miniature bottle market in Australia and around the world and found some stark differences in pricing. We examined the current retail and wholesale market and the associated pricing.
The problem we identified was fairly simple – the price of small bottles of alcohol in Australia was simply too high. Our idea of using 30ml mini bottles would make it easier for people to enjoy quality spirits without the financial outlay of purchasing larger bottles. Added to that, our 30ml bottles represent approx. one standard drink in the Australian market and that helps consumers judge and monitor their alcohol intake more effectively.
Another interesting point from our research was that glass bottles, unlike the plastic ones used by the imported brands, were a better option as they’re more environmentally friendly and do not affect the taste of our products. So we’ve opted for glass bottles.
That’s a good call and a nice differentiator on the sizing and bottling. So how what were the first iterations of Nippers like? How did they develop?
The best way to answer this question is to break it down into two parts.
Firstly, we wanted a uniform standardised label design that was easy to read and colour-coded for each individual spirit/liqueur. Alexandra worked on the early stages of the label design for Nippers. When we were happy with the prototype, we then took it to Roberta Barichello who was instrumental in finalising the label design, marketing materials, promotional banners and our recent launch campaign.
Secondly, we took time to evaluate the most appropriate Australian distilleries to work with to ensure both quality and affordability. Our aim is to continue supporting Australian distillers where possible.
Good shout on supporting local distillers. There are so many amazing, small-batch distillers out there producing amazing stuff. When it came to funding Nippers, how did you go about it?
Nippers has been funded internally by us to date. We do not want to make the mistake of raising funds too early or raising funds from external sources without the business being fundamentally sound.
My background is in corporate finance through a company I established called "Dolphin Corporate Investments" which provides funding to companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).
I have also been an active investor on the ASX for many years and focus on identifying high growth opportunities in the micro and small-cap ASX sectors, so any future funding to facilitate growth for Nippers will be handled internally by myself.
That’s fantastic. You’ve got some serious runs on the board there. Ok, lets talk about your branding. You touched upon the label artwork earlier, how about the name?
Branding is about creating a distinctive and memorable identity that resonates with consumers. The idea is that a "nip" represents a 30ml serving of spirits in Australia, which is approximately one standard drink. The plural, "Nippers" reflects our focus on offering multiple varieties of mini spirits bottles.
Our brand identity is built around four key pillars, these being: affordability, quality, convenience and variety. We aim to be at the forefront of consumers' minds when they think about enjoying spirits in smaller portions.
Knowing you’ve recently launched, how are you raising awareness for Nippers? How are you getting the word out there?
Our website (www.drinknippers.com.au) and Instagram account (@drinknippers) went live on the 14th of September 2024. Initially, we are looking to scale the brand online only and focus predominantly on retail.
Expect some bold and brave guerrilla marketing from Nippers in the future. We’ve got a few unconventional ideas in the works to increase our brand awareness.
Ideally, we want people to start associating and calling mini bottles of spirits “Nippers”.
Getting ‘Nippers’ to become part of the common vernacular is a fantastic aim and will certainly crown a dominant position in the category. We can see that happening pretty quickly. How about future challenges? What hurdles do you see on the horizon if any?
One of the biggest challenges we face is competing in a highly competitive and regulated sector dominated by global overseas players with deep pockets.
Part of the attraction to setting up Nippers was trying to break the high barriers of entry by offering a product that competes on price, quality, affordability and variety. At present none of the overseas players offer a variety of spirits under one brand. At Nippers we do.
Finding a unique niche in a crowded marketplace, especially with many consumers loyal to particular brands will certainly take time and effort. We want to offer Australian consumers a convenient and affordable product that is produced in Australia and doesn’t compromise on quality.
Ok, before we hit the final question, we want to thank you for sharing your story so far and wish you and the team Godspeed. We know it’s early days but we’ll be keeping an ear out for ‘I’ll have a Nipper’ around town.
So, the final Q. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give another founder setting off on their own startup journey?
Having a great idea is just the first step, but many ideas never leave the drawing board. The key is execution – taking your idea and transforming it into a product.
On the funding side of things – ensure to keep start-up costs to a minimum where possible.
Be sure to bounce ideas amongst other individuals.
Lastly and most importantly - don’t be afraid to back yourself and trust your own judgement.
