After three years in development, Quips launched in Australia a few months ago, founded by Calvin Koder, an ex-banker and his business partner Joe McGaffin, who runs a video production company.
The duo trialled an initial version of the product at a New Year’s Eve party in 2022, filling 300 pouches with vodka and orange juice and calling them “SLAMS”.
“As housemates, we were going out every weekend, as you do in your early twenties, and everyone, including us, was drinking seltzer; we were sick of it,” said Koder.
“Anytime we had a party, we would then just buy vodka with juice and mix it ourselves to avoid the bloating and fizz. These mixes would also be pretty strong, so we didn’t have to consume much.”
Koder added that, as university students, they were always looking to save some money and loved going to music festivals, so they would always empty yoghurt pouches and fill them with vodka to sneak into them.
This was what introduced them to the pouch and its functional benefits, such as its resealability, portability, and extra safety due to no glass (safe for the dance floor).
“Combining the pouch with the juice-based cocktail that we were always making at parties was what shaped the initial idea of Quips.”
As high-strength, non-carbonated premium cocktails in pouches, Quips currently offers SKUs: Tommy’s Margarita, Mango Daiquiri, and Raspberry Passionfruit Martini, with another big flavour launching this summer.
Having the luxury of being an independent brand, Koder said, allowed them just to make what they want with limited hurdles. They knew the flavours had to be strong enough to mask the 11 percent ABV and wanted to make three distinct flavour profiles and spirits so that everyone could find one they enjoyed.
At the same time, the biggest hurdle they faced was finding a production facility capable of producing alcoholic pouches.
All the manufacturers that had a liquor license but did not have a pouch-filling machine, so the duo started reaching out to yoghurt and baby food co-packers who could potentially get their liquor license.
After months of struggles and negotiations, they ended up with the current co-packer on the Central Coast, making the process from concept to prototype take three years.
“The early taste tests were nothing like today’s drinks, and we are now delighted and grateful for how they have turned out with our current food scientist,” added Koder.
“We have faced countless other issues, from trademark denials, dodgy food scientists, production delays, and so much more. The biggest learning curve was that nothing is ever easy.”
The response to Quips has been overwhelmingly positive, and the brand has built a strong social media following in just a few months. At present, Koder highlighted that Quips’ core audience is 18- to 25-year-old women, who love the high-strength, fizz-free cocktail and the Insta-worthy pouch.
Looking ahead, Koder and McGaffin plan to gain national coverage in Australia next year, then expand to the US and the UK. Koder said the markets there are much bigger, with proven high demand for high-ABV RTD cocktails.
“We just need to move quickly and keep the momentum going.”
Quips is now stocked in over 80 independent bottle shops around NSW, VIC and QLD.
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