Helena Price Hambrecht, co-founder of Haus, dives into building a direct-to-consumer alcohol brand. She discusses identifying a market need for lighter, less-sugary alcoholic beverages, particularly among millennials, and the strategic decisions behind Haus's DTC model. The episode offers valuable insights into navigating venture capital in the DTC space and the crucial role of PR in a brand launch.
Key takeaways
Identify unmet consumer needs: Haus found success by catering to a desire for lower-ABV, less-sugary alcoholic options, proving that even established categories can be disrupted by understanding evolving consumer preferences.
Leverage DTC for niche markets: The DTC model allowed Haus to directly reach consumers seeking a 'better way to drink,' bypassing traditional retail gatekeepers and building a direct relationship with their target audience.
Prioritize PR for early-stage brand building: Haus focused heavily on public relations at launch to generate buzz and establish brand credibility, demonstrating the power of earned media for new companies.
Understand the venture capital landscape: Prepare for adjustments in venture capital funding for DTC brands by building a sustainable business model and demonstrating clear paths to profitability beyond just rapid growth.
Innovate within regulatory constraints: Haus successfully navigated the complexities of mailing alcoholic beverages by formulating products that complied with legal ABV limits, showcasing how to innovate within a regulated industry.
For Helena Price Hambrecht the abundance of alcohol at every after-work event meant that hangovers seemed inevitable.
"I knew that I had a problem. I knew that everyone else I knew had a problem where we were like 'god, are we supposed to do this forever and not die?" she said on this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast. "We're supposed to drink, drinking is part of life, but we all feel terrible. Why isn't there a better way to drink?'"
She and her husband Woody Hambrecht founded Haus to try supplying that better way. The company's drinks are alcoholic, but only a bit more than the stuff you put in an Aperol Spritz -- the growing popularity of which proves the "demand for something lighter," Price Hambrecht said -- and other aperitifs. Millennials, the thinking goes, aren't drinking to get drunk. Haus' concoctions are also on the not-so-sweet (read: sugary) side, and are under the legal cutoff (24% ABV) for mailing bottles to customers.
Price Hambrecht joined the inaugural episode of the Modern Retail Podcast to talk about founding Haus, focusing on PR at launch and what comes next for the direct-to-consumer industry.
Identify unmet consumer needs: Haus found success by catering to a desire for lower-ABV, less-sugary alcoholic options, proving that even established categories can be disrupted by understanding evolving consumer preferences.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Leverage DTC for niche markets: The DTC model allowed Haus to directly reach consumers seeking a 'better way to drink,' bypassing traditional retail gatekeepers and building a direct relationship with their target audience.
What does this episode say about finance & fundraising?
Prioritize PR for early-stage brand building: Haus focused heavily on public relations at launch to generate buzz and establish brand credibility, demonstrating the power of earned media for new companies.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Understand the venture capital landscape: Prepare for adjustments in venture capital funding for DTC brands by building a sustainable business model and demonstrating clear paths to profitability beyond just rapid growth.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Innovate within regulatory constraints: Haus successfully navigated the complexities of mailing alcoholic beverages by formulating products that complied with legal ABV limits, showcasing how to innovate within a regulated industry.
