NBR featured Namida Wasabi Spirit on Friday 14/10/2011
As the runner up in the Audacious business competition, Julien Van Mellaerts was interviewed by the National Business Review and that interview was published on Friday.
He was asked the following questions.
What inspired your product?
At the age of 2 my parents started growing wasabi. They got into it as they saw a TV documentary on the firey root vegetable and saw that it could be sold for $100 per kg and it was legal. Needless to say they signed up and have been successfully providing the world with 100% pure wasabia japonica since. Last year I was wrapping up my time at university and was looking for a job. After graduating with a MusB (Hons) and BA in French, my immediate job opportunities were somewhat limited. I talked with my parents and we decided to revisit their wasabi vodka project from the mid-90s. I know wasabi, and after 5 years of study, I knew vodka. Why not combine the two, and what better timing than the current flavoured vodka renaissance!
What was the major challenge encountered during your product’s development? e.g. technological challenges, funding, issues with product consistency/quality
The development of the product went relatively smoothly. There was a lot of difficulty in finalizing our brand labels and designs. When we were first coming up with the idea and planning, the hardest thing was getting a reliable quality still to use for our product here in New Zealand. We were met with apprehension (resounding NOs) and quotes that would have made our venture commercially unviable. We were, therefore, forced to look elsewhere to outsource our distillation. Through various contacts we secured a deal with South Africa’s leading boutique distillery that came back with a product that we were happy with and were people we could work with. Our product has two international spirits awards to its name (out of two competitions), as well as the NBR Audacious Runner up award! The most challenging thing for us at the moment is finding the best Wasabi Maniacs to promote our brand nationwide and internationally.
How has your idea altered from its original form, and why?
Fortunately, from the outset of this endeavour our product has hardly changed at all. After researching the European markets we discovered that we needed to have 500ml bottles available if we wanted to sell over there. So we went away and got the bottles ready. We now offer two different sizes – 500ml and 750ml.
What New Zealand business person do you most admire, and why?
Geoff Ross and Jutine Troy, who created 42 BELOW, are stand outs for me. I have been reading their book ‘Every bastard says NO!’ and becoming much more familiar with their story. Their approach to branding, their incessant hard work and determination are extremely admirable qualities. To ultimately build a successful global vodka empire from humble beginnings out of their garage is testament to their drive. With 42 BELOW they went against the grain and put New Zealand on the map, and proved that we can in fact make bloody good vodka. They created a brand and a culture that we, as New Zealanders, love and are proud of. Even if throughout their journey ‘Every bastard said NO!’
