ARTICLE / THE MAKING OF... SERIES
The making of...
SOLBEVI.
When the world gives you lemons…
Of all the motivating factors that inspire founders to jump on the Start-Up rollercoaster, wanting to ‘share your passion or gift with the world’ is up there as one of the most emotive. Naturally, sharing something you love or excel at can also make all the difference when it comes to building out your product and business. In Stefan Di Benedetto’s case, making, drinking and sharing his beautiful Limoncello with friends quickly evolved into building one of Australia’s finest and fastest-growing Limoncello brands. We caught up with Stefan to talk all things lemon. This is The making of… SOLBEVI.
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The making of... Series
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#solbevilimoncello #limoncello #branding #brand #fmcg #cpg #startup #scaleup #passion #founder #founderstory
Hey Stefan, lovely to finally catch up. We must confess we’re big fans of Limoncello so we’re itching to hear your story. So, SOLBEVI… Who? What? Where? How?
Hey, so… as an Italian, I‘ve been making Limoncello for years but from school, I set off on a career in construction. Partnering with my cousin, we had a successful business that was expanding but in August 2023, in one of those crazy pivotal moments, I decided to leave the security of construction behind to follow my passion and launch SOLBEVI.
During COVID, I lived with 4 of my schoolmates (best time of our lives!). As we had a lot of free time, I started making a lot of Limoncello. My best friend Darcy (who is a Silent Partner in the business) loved Limoncello so I always made him some. One day, the two of us and our girlfriends were sitting in the sun drinking my latest batch. We drank it straight, the traditional way, but the girls thought it was too strong and made them into a Limoncello Spritz.
Boom. This was our lightbulb moment.
As we were enjoying the Spritz, we realised no one had ever made a Limoncello Spritz in a can. Diving deeper, we found that Limoncello was such a niche category. It existed, but the bottles on the shelves were old-school Italian-looking, which did not appeal to a younger Australian audience.
We felt Limoncello could be more than just an after-dinner shot and with no clear market leader or direct competitor to Aperol, we decided to go for it and create Australia's first Limoncello Spritz RTD plus our own bottled Limoncello liqueur.
Stefan Di Benedetto, Founder and Managing Director of SOLBEVI
Fantastic. Yes, COVID had a motivating effect on quite a few start-ups! So, you’ve got the bit between your teeth and are going all out to share your Limoncello with the world… what further research did you do to test the market and your product fit?
The research was simple. Desktop and store visits. This allowed us to quickly identify gaps in the Limoncello market and understand customer preferences. We found Australians preferred a smoother, lower ABV Limoncello, instead of the strong yet sweet versions. This solidified our decision to create our version of Limoncello for the Australian market.
Simultaneously, I made numerous batches of Limoncello, sharing them with friends and gathering feedback. These taste tests became informal focus groups, enabling us to refine both of our products. That was it. After years of finessing the Limoncello personally, and 2.5 years + 9 iterations of the Limoncello Spritz, we were good to go!
From making all of those batches and honing your flavours, how were the first runs? How did your recipes translate into the finished product?
The Limoncello Spritz RTD originally tasted horrible! We had real issues determining the right carbonation level (We initially used a Soda Stream to try out different levels of fizz before graduating to what we use now!). However, each little iteration helped us get to where we needed to be with our flavour profile.
Our bottled product took a bit longer to perfect as we tried to achieve a smoothness that would appeal to our market. What we have on the shelf now is pretty much perfect.
Love the fact you used a Soda-Stream! Naturally, funding is an important subject for any new business. How did you initially fund everything?
We are still self-funded.
Ok, let’s talk branding. Your identity and packaging channels a wonderfully vintage vibe. What was the inspiration behind it?
From the outset, we envisioned a large SOLBEVI vintage poster as the centrepiece of our branding, drawing inspiration from the iconic imagery of the Italian coastline and the relaxed atmosphere of enjoying a Limoncello Spritz by the beach. This vision guided the designers in crafting the artwork, which prominently features visuals of Positano and other breathtaking Italian locales. The final result perfectly captures the essence of the SOLBEVI experience, transporting you to a sun-soaked Mediterranean paradise with every sip. The design team totally nailed it!
Awareness? How are you getting the word out there? How are you scaling the brand?
Currently, we’re basing our activity around a simple, yet effective strategy such as tastings at Dan Murphys and Vintage Cellars, free sampling, word-of-mouth, trade shows, PR and social media. Everything we do is geared toward growing our community of customers and stockists. We currently sit at 546 stockists and are using social media to help drive customers in-store to experience and buy.
That sounds like a steady plan that is reaping the right results. As you look to scale, what challenges are on the horizon?
Cash flow is the hardest challenge. Excise Rates rising every 6 months, coupled with Distributor Margins, Retailer Margins, and the overall tough economy the world finds itself in - it’s a difficult time for managing cash flow.
Secondly, competition. Since our successful launch, a flurry of new/similar products has entered the market. These products are direct competition. However, we fear the larger brands with significant cash reserves and marketing budgets the most. Our challenge is ensuring we stay relevant, Number 1, and in everyone's hands.
The plans to generate awareness coupled with your authenticity should keep SOLBEVI front of mind. Ok, final question time. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give other founders setting out on their first start-up journey?
Be strategic with your money. Sponsoring events and using mainstream media isn’t always the way to go. There are smarter ways to tackle marketing without spending too much money. For example, giving products away! That way people get to experience your product for a limited spend.
