When starting to sell your drinks brand, think backward.
Don't look for a distributor, look for a bar.
Here's how to solve the chicken and egg dilemma:
A drinks brand can have the coolest positioning in the world...but it's worthless if that cannot be translated into simple guidelines.
Start from there to understand:
- what bars are right for your brand
- what distributors are the right way to get there
How?
Look for the devil in the details.
Ask those bars whom they work with.
They order from their favorite distributor.
If your brand is on their list, they will re-order it.
Otherwise, they will try you once and never buy you again.
They will never like your brand enough to make another order for it.
Brands are built bottom-up.