How spirits can be artisanal just like wine and beer

The difference between marketing and selling is that marketing focuses on the buyer while selling focuses on the seller(Novak, 2004). To be successful, firms should dwell more on marketing than selling. Consequently, they should analyze the needs of their customers and thereafter try to satisfy them better than their competitors. In his study, Novak (2004) gives the impression that advertising a product is not the key ingredient in marketing nowadays. In fact, it is just a small part of the entire marketing mix. It then appears that building brand royalty is the next hot thing in a marketing concept. This is because brand loyalty involves developing a lasting relationship between the customer and the company, product, brand and other customers. The result of this relationship is a brand community that ensures that a product enjoys a large market share for a long time. Production and marketing of artisanal products (craft products) is purely based on the brand loyalty concept. Artisanal products are mainly produced in small batches of differentiated products designed specifically to carter for a certain need in a given market niche. Many products including food and beverages have been produced this way. However, although the global market has enjoyed artisanal beers and wines for a long time, little progress has been observed on production of artisanal spirits. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel as Sullivan (2007) states clearly that there are cases of craft spirits being produced with local flavours. This is a precise indication that spirits can be artisanal just like wines and beers. This post elaborates further on how spirits can be artisanal just like wine and beer

Sullivan (2007) explains that artisanal products use local ingredients and innovative techniques to compete with their established rivals. Just like artisanal beers and wines, artisanal spirits are hand-crafted mainly in small sets from high-quality ingredients to produce products with superior tastes. This art is essentially practiced by small producers, for instance, the Modern Spirit who produces the Tru Organic Vodka brands. These companies have introduced another angle in the spirit business where space on the retail shelves is won merely by taste rather than high-advertisement budgets or production of cheap products (Garbee, 2010). This is a sure way of preventing a slow down in sales of products from new entrants in the industry as it is the case with other conventional products. Perhaps, it is the fastest way of getting in to the spirit market.

Artisan spirits can well be illustrated by Tru Organic Vodka brands. These vodkas are 100% certified organic, distilled using grains from America. According to a description from an article by Graham these vodkas are produced from organic lemon and vanilla freshly infused into the vodka. Notwithstanding, their production from refreshing,natural ingredients, Tru Vodka brands have a superior taste to other spirits. When ordering Vodka, one expects a crisp sting. On the contrary, Tru Organic Vodka Brands gives someone an edgeless, smooth taste (Wu, 2008). This is a taste that soothes and relaxes the mind. Besides, there are some earthy tones which clearly present evidence that vodkas are truly organic. They are like a giant salad made exactly the way one like. This is the beauty of these Vodkas. They do not live a person with any discomforts. “These are exceptional spirits that one will die to taste” (Graham).

Just like any other product, there are some factors, to consider when producing Tru Organic Vodka. To begin with, the whole production process should be environmental friendly. For instance, the company producing Tru Organic Vodka brands-Modern Spirits has a structure that is eco-friendly. All the materials used to produce the final product are recycled or recyclable materials. Each bottle is packaged in sustainable, recycled materials as shown in figure 1 (Wu, 2008). Furthermore, all the ingredients are sourced from the US, where the company is based to reduce transportation pollution. Additionally, companies should try to diverse their product portfolio. This is because people have different tastes or are easily bored by a product produced on similar fashion for a long time. Modern Spirit produces the Vanilla and Lemon brands of the Tru Vodka as well as other products. Some spirits require aging to boost their quality while others do not. For this reason, it is paramount to consider aging as a factor when producing artisanal spirits. Vodka requires no aging to improve its quality hence sells instantly after production. This is yet another plus attached to Organic Vodka.

In conclusion, it is clear that artisanal spirits are a solution to the marketing headache of spirits. A spirit that goes well with the majority of customers is likely to fetch a better price and a large market. Sullivan (2007) quotes Holaday, whose artisan maple vodka sells for around $70 per bottle as saying, “It seems like the more we charge, the better it sells”. Accordingly, there will always be a reward for a well crafted product.

References

Garbee, J. (2010). The Artisan.