We are beyond excited about the launch of BP DRINKS! To celebrate, we'll be sitting down with some of our collaborators, clients and candidates from the Drinks Industry in our series Unbottled with... We'll be finding out what everyone has been up to over the lockdowns and sharing any exciting news there is for the future!
We’re thrilled to begin the series with Small Batch Cider Founder Emily Turrell.
About Emily...
Emily has worked for some of the biggest Drink Industry brands over the last 7 years. Her passion and dedication for the industry were proved with the founding of Small Bath Cider in 2020 which was made possible through Natwest’s #BackHerBusiness crowdfunding campaign. Based in Torquay, Emily believed there needed to be more of a premium fruit cider offering and so creating something exciting and elegant that you want to enjoy with friends.
Hi Emily! You are the founder of Small Batch Cider, what has your career in the Drinks Industry looked like so far?
I started my career in the drinks industry with Diageo working in the off-trade. I absolutely loved their brands, the company morale and I learnt so much about the industry in a short space of time. I wanted to learn more about the On-trade and there were no roles in my area so I moved over to Pernod Ricard, another amazing company with fantastic products and I learnt so much about events and branding as well as making some fantastic relationships with some really great people. After two years with spirits and wine, I wanted to develop my knowledge in the beer category and took a role working for Estrella Damm. I enjoyed my role there so much as I helped organise some amazing events and grew the sales in the South West. After Estrella Damm, I worked for a few smaller breweries as Head of Sales and Marketing, one of which (Keltek Brewery) I still work for now. I loved the industry so much that I set up a consultancy company called Small Batch Collective which allowed me to work with a variety of clients and help them develop their brand image, sales and marketing.
When was your moment of inspiration for SBC?
I was doing some research for a clients social media and by doing so I noticed a massive gap in the market. 50% of fruit cider drinkers are women but the majority of the marketing is aimed at men and the marketing that is aimed at women is more suitable for pubs/festivals etc. I noticed a real gap for something really premium, that you would feel proud to drink in a cocktail bar or high-end restaurant; something using real fruit juice instead of artificial flavourings and something well, really beautiful and shareable. That’s when Small Batch Cider was born. The aim of the brand was to have beautiful elegant branding, using the very best ingredients as well as some extra special serves, like Amore Shimmer, the shimmering Strawberry cider.
How have you found launching a brand in a market so extremely affected by Covid?
I think launching a brand at any time has its difficulties and now even more so. The company ethos is about letting the merriment flow and feeling a bit special and I feel that’s exactly what’s needed right now in these sad and difficult times. It’s been quite upsetting seeing some long-standing successful clients that I have dealt with for many years really struggling but they are still putting on a big smile and doing their utmost to ensure the safety of their customers as well as a fantastic experience while in their venue. I have also found that a lot of people want to purchase to enjoy at home and create that in bar experience with quite a theatrical drink that is very easy to serve.
What's next for SBC?
There are already a few exciting things in the pipeline... colour changing ciders are potentially being released in the not-so-distant future as well as some really exciting new flavours! The shimmer has proven very popular so there will definitely be a range of shimmering flavours coming soon. I learnt from some of the incredible brands I’ve had the pleasure of working for is the importance of innovation and bespoke activations... and so there will definitely be a lot of exciting things happening!
To keep up with all the latest, you can follow the Small Batch Cider on Instagram at @smallbatchciderltd
Are you interested in working with BP DRINKS? We would LOVE to hear from you! Please get in touch by emailing chloe@bpdrinks.co.uk
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