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Episode: TIGIF Oct 13 – Interview with Jordan Rothschild (Buzzed Beans)
Duration: ~17:30
Host (speaker_0): You guys are listening to TechEdTV podcasting series. In our show, we bring you the best in technologies, innovation, startups, fintech, artificial intelligence, value computing, and latest integrations in technology worldwide.
Good morning, good afternoon, you guys are watching TechEdTV podcast, and one more time, we have a great guest, Jordan Rothschild, who is a person I met through one of our associates, Sinjin Lee, and welcome to the show, Jordan.
Jordan Rothschild (speaker_1): Thank you, thanks for having me.
Host: Yes, the reason why I brought you in is because you’re an entrepreneur, you are in multiple ventures, and tell us a little bit about your background, and how you became an entrepreneur. Is something that comes from a family, or how did you turn an entrepreneur? What’s your story?
Jordan: Yeah, I started out working in advertising straight out of college and got an idea of the consumer packaged goods world, and shopper marketing. So I always had this sort of drive for what, you know, how consumers shop, how consumers buy, and my dad’s actually in the hospitality business. And so it’s kind of, I mean, consumer packaged goods and hospitality are kind of the world that I’ve always lived in. And so my dad’s been a really big role model my whole life. He’s been an entrepreneur in the restaurant business for a very long time. And so I guess it’s kind of in my blood.
But I also, you know, throughout my time in advertising and also in the spirits world, I’ve spent the last almost 16 years in the alcohol beverage space. I had the opportunity to join some startups during that time. And so I kind of got bit by the entrepreneurial bug and really have not looked back since. So, you know, starting my own thing right now. And I also dabble in real estate. So I just keep busy and it’s nice when you can kind of control your own destiny. Although it’s a bit of a roller coaster at times.
Host: I understand that. And I can feel your pain. And in fact, I wanted to ask you about the marketing and advertisement, which is just your forte. How do you see that field right now? In the spirit world developing, is there a transition on that? I read some consumer reports where alcohol consumption has been decreased in the new generation, Gen Zs and millennials. Is that a factor, or you don’t see that as a factor yet?
Jordan: Yeah, you know, actually there’s been some recent reporting too, as early as just a couple weeks ago, that the Gen Z consumer is drinking. I don’t think it’s in comparison to obviously millennials, but they are consuming, but it’s interesting, their habits are different. You know, they’re not going out as much, I think simply because they can’t afford to. So there’s a lot of at-home consumption that’s happening, so like the RTD space is really, really growing in the spirits world.
And for me, from a tech standpoint, you know, AI has just been such a blessing in terms of being able to really tailor your marketing platform and program and sort of fine-tune it. You know, if you’re launching across countries and you’ve never launched there before, it’s a great tool to just kind of get ingrained into the culture a little bit in terms of just research. You can look up things that you have never been able to look up before or run ideas by an AI platform saying, hey, will this resonate? Or does this language translate right? Or does this mean something offensive? So we didn’t have those tools back when I started.
Host: No, we had to put your fingers out here in your face to make sure you’re not like an AI bot or something.
Jordan: So it’s been really resourceful for me and my team because we are launching across countries, you know, to kind of just check certain things just to make sure they pass the sniff test. And I think too, just from a marketing campaign perspective, you know, you’re able to do mock-ups in minutes to kind of get your vision over to your creative director. Or if you’re working with a point of sale company, you know, you can chat something into ChatGPT and say, hey, this is what I’m thinking. And it will render something for you. And so it just saves a lot of time. And it saves a lot of ambiguity, I feel like, because you can kind of get more direct, clear information to the people that you need to faster. So the results are coming back faster, which is brilliant to me. I wish I had this 20 years ago when I was in my 20s.
Host: But tell me something about that because it’s interesting what you’re saying. Usually a lot of people believe that marketing and sales are turning more robotic with all this AI, say avatars. Do you see that as an issue for marketing and sales or is something more of a wrong perception the users may have today?
Jordan: Yeah, I think you just gotta have to be careful as a brand how you use it. You know, honestly, I feel like it depends on who you’re targeting too. You know, some groups really love AI generated stuff and you even see huge brands like Cartier and others that are using these AI, that are clearly AI, but they’re coming up with beautiful campaigns. And so I think it’s just you have to tailor it to the right audience. And it really comes from your brand’s DNA, you know, how do you want to be presented to the consumer?
But for me, it’s great because I use it not only to kind of just do concept rendering stuff to kind of give to my creative directors or to lend to creative photo shoots. We do do some AI stuff because it’s cost effective for us to do it. But for me, I think reaching the consumer and utilizing the tools that AI can do where it talks to like store level stock data. So there’s some programs that we use to kind of be along in the consumer journey when they’re searching online or whether they’re scrolling on Instagram or what have you, where you can have the brand meet the consumer where they’re at in their journey. And then make it a shoppable experience. That’s like we haven’t had before. And consumers can not only shop your product now, and you can see real-time store data based on stock levels, but they can also shop the rest of the store too. So AI is so fascinating in this world because it’s so multifaceted and you can use it for so many different things.
Host: Then tell me one thing on this AI journey you have. You have your brand, obviously, maybe you tell us more about your brand. And let’s just start there. Let’s tell us about your brand.
Jordan: Sure. We are launching an espresso martini lineup, called Buzzed Beans. And it’s really a two-prong approach. We are all natural, gluten-free, low sugar, and vegan. And then we’re also across multiple spirits portfolio. So we are made with vodka, we’ve got a SKU made with tequila, gin, and whiskey. So for me, it was really important to create this brand with intention because consumers are really being more mindful when they do choose to drink. And so they want to know what they’re putting in their bodies. And so it was really important for me to create something that was where I feel consumers want brands to be, which is the sort of better-for-you movement. Although it is alcohol, right? I can’t say better for you.
Host: Oh, that’s healthy chocolate too, right?
Jordan: Exactly. At least you can feel better about choosing something that you know what’s in it and is going in your body. And then too, you know, not everyone drinks vodka. So for me, branching out the espresso martini branch to other spirit types was important to me too, because if you think about if you go out in your friend or family group, not everyone’s drinking the same cocktail. Most people do love coffee and you’ve got your whiskey lovers, you got people that love gin, obviously diehard vodka fans. So I wanted something that could kind of appeal to a broader audience.
Host: And tell me a little bit more about your product, like right now, where you can buy it or in what states is it available?
Jordan: Yeah, so we’re actually launching in the UK next month.
Host: Oh, wow. London.
Jordan: London next month. We’re manufactured in England as well currently. So we will be rolling out, we have our first production run next month. So very, very exciting.
Host: Yeah, I remember I met you when you had this concept. It was a very concept. And it came from, maybe, I don’t know if you want to share the genesis of your experience with espresso martinis. I think I heard a story from you before that. You had, what was the story again?
Jordan: My husband and I came up with it when we were in a restaurant.
Host: Yes, I remember that.
Jordan: Yeah, we were in a restaurant and we just came up with it. We saw a cocktail, an espresso martini made with tequila and I was like, oh my gosh, why is no one doing this? I think there are other brands out there that have a tequila version and a vodka version. We’re definitely not the only espresso martini, that’s for sure. But for me, you know, being low sugar across multiple spirits is really important. So yeah, the idea came from my husband and I having dinner.
Host: So how would that compare in the marketplace right now, especially coming from the UK? Where are your plans to come to the United States? Maybe the rest of Europe, France, Germany.
Jordan: Yeah, we do have plans to come to the US. We are currently working behind the scenes to make that happen sooner than anticipated. I am hopeful that we’ll have one or two states launched by the end of this year in the US, and then we’ll have a rollout plan for 2027. And then stay tuned for other countries. There’s some stuff in the works.
Host: We’ll just do a little teaser for you. So we’re going to put the website down here for your customer. You happen to be in London, you can go and get one, I guess, at a supermarket, I assume. I don’t know where, but where can you buy it?
Jordan: Hopefully soon in inside grocery. We’re definitely doing an on-premise push first because we are launching towards the end of the year. So it’s a little unique for a brand to launch towards the end of the year, but we’ll have products in several on-premise locations. So if you do go to the website later, we will have a find us page. So when we get that distribution rolling, we’ll definitely have where you can find us. And then we’ll be online too.
Host: Maybe for Christmas, you have a package for New Year’s Eve. You can share it with your friends, bring it to the party.
Yeah, I like coffee and that’s one of the areas that always kind of intrigue me about your product, number one, the genesis. Usually you have this entrepreneur having this momentum of clarity, let’s say, this eureka moment. And I think you had that with your husband, and I assume your husband and yourself are partners in this business, or what’s your structure right now in terms of, as an entrepreneur, how do you structure a business, investors?
Jordan: Oh yeah, I mean, you know, as the founder and CEO, you pretty much wear every single hat. My husband is helping me with this, but you know, he’s also got his full-time job. So I am wearing multiple hats currently and we do have some investors involved that are helping to bring this to life. And you know, it’s been fascinating. I’ve been a part of startups before, but I have not had to be involved at this depth because this is me. You have a lot of skin in the game.
Host: I have all of my skin in the game, right? And how do you balance that fact? Like, I know a lot of entrepreneurs, female startup founders like yourself, have to juggle multiple things, multiple roles. As a woman, as an entrepreneur, as a friend, as a family member, how do you handle that situation to maintain some mental health?
Jordan: You definitely get more aware of who you surround yourself with. And I am so lucky that I have the most amazing support system, not only from a family standpoint, but a friend network too, that they understand that I’m putting in more hours than probably most. And it’s because it’s my baby, right? So they give me the space that I need, or they say, hey girl, why don’t you take a break for a second, come meet me for dinner? So they’re also very good at kind of recognizing like, you might need a girls night. Why don’t you come out?
Host: But you don’t bring your espresso martinis, do you? No, I’m just kidding.
Jordan: Hey, let’s have one of mine. It has some behind the scenes tastings.
Host: Okay. And what’s your main objective with your current venture? You’re planning to grow global, you’re trying to get acquired. Usually entrepreneurs have some sort of an exit. What’s your exit strategy, if we can call it like that?
Jordan: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s everyone’s dream to exit, right? Unless you want to be a lineage brand that just hand it down to your family. For me, my kids have no interest in alcohol beverage, so I need to have an exit strategy. So it’ll be interesting. You know, I think the RTD space is definitely one that’s growing in the category. It’s actually growing in double digits year upon year. So this brand actually would fit nicely in several supplier portfolios. So we’ll see what happens. But we definitely are excited, and I just can’t wait to launch. It’s gonna be a surreal moment. You know, concept to can, we’ve really been working on this since February, and so we’ve been really, really fast putting it together. And it’s just my baby, so next month’s gonna be big.
Host: Great. And one question I have, forgive my ignorance, but I like coffee. I do a little coffee tasting things and I love different countries of coffee. Is there a thing for espresso as well to say, okay, I’m sourcing the coffee from Brazil, from Costa Rica, Honduras, or Vietnam? Is that something like that as well for the espresso martini?
Jordan: Yeah, we were really fortunate to work with some great R&D people on this project. And in collaboration with them, it was really important for us to just choose really premium ingredients. My dad also has recently become such a coffee connoisseur. So I had to pass his test for the coffee. So it is a Colombian cold brew. We use a concentrate, and we also use espresso extract. So we’ve got some really, really delicious coffee in our cocktails. And I mean, you can just smell the aroma. It’s just that.
Host: No, that just, sometimes you see espresso martini, you say like, is that just like a diet coffee?
Jordan: Yeah, a lot of them use like a coffee liqueur. You know, a lot of them, and that’s where a lot of the sugar content comes from as well. So it was really important for us to not do that. And for us, we’re launching in 125 ml, so I actually have a little can here if you want to see it.
Host: These little guys right here. Put a little to the side here to, yes, right there. Nice, it looks pretty neat. I like the brand actually, very, it looks very classy as well.
Jordan: Thank you. Very high class. Thank you. We’re only two and a half grams of sugar per can, whereas a lot of other brands have 15 to 25 grams of sugar in that little guy. So it was really important for us to not use a coffee liqueur and to use actual coffee and be as purest as possible.
Host: Wow, I think you have a winner here, I think you’re gonna hit it off.
