Q TONIC -" The world’s best spirits deserve a superior tonic water "
A MINI CASE STUDY
1. In what year did your company begin operation?
+ 2006, though I didn’t make my first delivery until summer 2007.
2. How do you define success? Are you “there”yet?
+ I want to anyone who drinks a superior gin or vodka to be able to mix it with a superior tonic water. And while we’ve definitely had a great start, we still have miles to go.
3. How long did it take to be successful?
+ In a way, it was very quick. Q Tonic was adopted by some of the country’s very best restaurants, cocktail lounges, and gourmet groceries almost immediately. Within a month of creating a prototype and posting about it on the internet, Gramercy Tavern, Milk & Honey, and Dean & Deluca were carrying Q Tonic and offering it to their discerning customers. A month after that we were on the front page of the NY Times Dining In section. At the same time, we have miles to go before we build a business that does what I think it can do.
4. How long did your initial roll-out for the above product line take (months or years?) and how much did it cost? ($5,000? $20,000?) What kind of funding was available to you?
+ The initial roll out was a prototype run of 200 cases, which cost me around $4800. It took me almost a year to make that prototype.
5. Please share your insights and advice for new to industry companies.
+ My biggest insight is to make a better mouse trap and work really really hard trying to bring it to the world.
6. How would you define your “vision”? Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years?
+ I want Q Tonic offered by every place in the country that carries Grey Goose or Tanqueray. A gin/vodka tonic is 70% tonic and it just doesn’t make sense for people to mix top shelf spirits with a tonic water of mediocre quality. Factory tonic waters have as much high fructose corn syrup as 7UP and synthetic flavors and preservatives. They’re just not a great match for all the great spirits that are now available. Q Tonic, with real quinine and a dash of organic agave, is. It’s also a lot healthier and better tasting.
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Jordan Silbert
Q Tonic
e. jordan@qtonic.com
p. 718 801.8787
web. www.qtonic.com
The world’s best spirits deserve a superior tonic water
