Entrepreneurship isn’t straightforward, however when was the final time you heard of a model that spent years bringing a few change in state legal guidelines in order that they may introduce their product? If that wasn’t spectacular sufficient, this model additionally boasts of teaching folks, supporting native farmers and establishing their attain by promoting honey and mead.
Presenting Moonshine Meadery and the Moonshine Challenge – millennial manufacturers that created area for themselves in a populated but uncharted Indian market that’s anticipated to achieve a valuation of INR 30.6 billion by 2026.
Based by Rohan Rehani and Nitin Vishwas, these manufacturers not solely introduced again the world’s oldest alcohol (meads) but in addition raised consciousness about pure honey.
And so they appeared on Shark Tank India!
Inquisitive about this superb model and its journey? We’ve obtained you coated.
We talked to the Moonshine workforce to learn the way they began the Moonshine Honey Challenge, realized about their distinctive excursions, and their expertise on Shark Tank India. Learn on to know extra.
A not-for-profit undertaking
Primarily based out of Pune, Moonshine Honey Challenge was began as a hive-to-table premium honey model. This ardour undertaking was launched to teach folks about what pure honey regarded and tasted like.
However let’s begin from the start. In spite of everything, we will’t discuss Moonshine Honey with out mentioning Moonshine Meadery.
Moonshine began out by creating meads, an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey. Whereas creating mead, Rohan and Nitin realised that business honey wouldn’t work as the primary uncooked materials for the mead. Mead requires good high quality honey as a result of adulterated honey doesn’t ferment.
The founders determined to study bee-keeping and arrange their very own bee containers to supply pure honey from the farmers straight. This resulted in Moonshine gaining access to pure, high-quality honey straight from the supply.
They determined to check the waters by promoting small batches of honey primarily to point out folks what actual honey is, they usually discovered that individuals actually appreciated it.
Moonshine Honey Challenge was began within the 2020 lockdown and continues to encourage native farmers to achieve supplementary revenue by changing into beekeepers. A win-win for all, together with the ecosystem!
The model additionally prides itself on incorporating sustainable practices whereas sourcing and producing its merchandise.
In the event you’re seeking to turn out to be a sustainable model too, listed here are some assets that can assist you in your quest:
It was attention-grabbing to notice that Moonshine provided two merchandise that weren’t essentially straightforward to promote. Each honey and mead had stereotypes connected that required the model to first educate the viewers after which take into consideration conversions.
Their preliminary efforts had been centered on convincing those who honey isn’t too candy and mead isn’t beer. With main manufacturers taking on most area within the honey market, it was powerful to get observed, not to mention garner a loyal viewers.
The model believes that India doesn’t have a honey provide subject however has a honey demand subject. Most individuals are unaware that business honey just isn’t actual honey. As a result of they’re unaware of how pure honey tastes, they assume that it’s not their cup of tea (or mead, ought to we are saying), and forgo shopping for honey altogether.
This made us surprise – how would a model create consciousness and promote its merchandise in a market that lacks each consciousness and demand? Properly, Moonshine Honey Challenge did each and grew its on-line gross sales by 20x.
Reaching nationwide with Shopify
Moonshine wished to promote its merchandise throughout India and opted for Shopify instantly. They’d entrepreneur buddies who already had Shopify shops and advisable making an attempt the platform.
Moonshine didn’t need to spend so much of assets at first to arrange a web site, they usually had been capable of obtain this goal with Shopify.
The Moonshine workforce has had a easy crusing with Shopify due to a number of causes:
- It was straightforward to arrange their retailer and get it operating
- Shopify’s platform is dependable and doesn’t crash even once they obtain massive volumes of visitors
- Cost and logistics are a breeze for them due to the integrations
However the half that they love probably the most about Shopify? It’s Shopify analytics!
Shopify stories make it straightforward to trace geographical insights. The geo-analytics enable Moonshine Honey Challenge to know the place they get probably the most visitors or demand. This has helped the model benefit from its retailer and scale its enterprise successfully.
Although the Shopify retailer was initially set as much as promote honey on-line, the model thought, why cease there? They began promoting tour tickets for his or her Meadery via Shopify as properly.
Excited about establishing your individual Shopify retailer? Listed below are some assets to get you began:
Profiting from the Meadery (and Shopify)
Moonshine began internet hosting meadery visits by providing tour tickets offline. The guided tour had folks visiting the primary full-scale meadery in Asia – Moonshine Meadery.
The behind-the-scenes entry allowed the model’s viewers to study Moonshine’s brewing course of. It additionally included honey and mead tasting periods.
The model needed to depend on third-party tour corporations to enlist and purchase the registrations for these excursions. The tour frequency was much less they usually needed to promote the tour closely via social media.
However in 2021, they experimented with itemizing excursions via their Shopify retailer. And guess what? They began buying the tour bookings with little to no promotions.
Now, they host weekly excursions via only a registration web page on their Shopify retailer that enables folks to enter their data and e book a tour.
The tour is a superb branding exercise and a direct income supply. What’s extra? It permits the model to attach with its viewers exterior of a digital area and construct a loyal group.
Carving their very own path
Rohan and Nitin launched Moonshine Meadery in 2018 although they began engaged on the thought in 2014. The delay was prompted as a result of lack of legal guidelines relating to manufacturing meads in India
Nevertheless, Moonshine didn’t let this cease them. Rohan and Nitin labored with the exicse division and managed to get some readability on the legal guidelines round mead
However their largest problem was advertising and marketing, as you can not promote alcohol manufacturers on digital platforms. Moonshine’s success can largely be credited to its distinctive strategy to advertising and marketing.
Moonshine Honey Challenge depends on social media schooling and guerrilla advertising and marketing to achieve its potential viewers. The model has tried every little thing – from pop-ups to masterclasses, company tie-ups and tasting periods.You could come throughout their collaboration posts that includes manufacturers like Nomad Meals Challenge, Subko Espresso and Pack-a-Pav. The model has additionally began the ‘Moonshine Highlight’ undertaking via which they promote indie artists acting at venues the place their meads are served.
Wish to know extra about guerilla advertising and marketing and promoting on social media? Try these guides, together with ideas and examples to encourage you:
All these advertising and marketing ways had been nice, however Moonshine wished one thing to assist them achieve widespread visibility and put the model on the map. Enter – Shark Tank India.
The buzzworthy Shark Tank India look
Moonshine’s televised Shark Tank India look was the discuss of the city – not solely as a result of the model was pitching a uncommon alcoholic beverage but in addition as a result of they had been one of many few manufacturers who rejected the Sharks’ supply.
Moonshine determined to audition for the collection, seeing that it’s a nice opportinity for constructing consciousness for a brand new class. The model went via a rigorous audition course of – beginning with sharing a pitch deck and video to the shortlisting interview rounds.
Their aim was to achieve visibility and get a advertising and marketing push for his or her meads, not essentially gaining funding. And what higher approach to obtain this than to seem on nationwide TV?
The model wowed the Sharks with their meads however sadly left the present with out funding because the Sharks’ counter-offer didn’t align with the model’s valuation.
We requested the founders why they walked away from the funding supply. “We had hoped for negotiation in keeping with what we sometimes see from personal fairness buyers”, they claimed.
However that didn’t imply that Moonshine didn’t profit from their look. They garnered a whole lot of constructive suggestions and, in fact, elevated gross sales. The model noticed 2 lakh guests on its web site in a span of two hours after the episode was aired.
Like most entrepreneurs, Rohan and Nitin loved interacting and studying from different founders. “What was notably good was to see that Vineetha, who has apparently been following our model for some time, gave us an enormous thumbs up on the course of our branding.”
The founders additionally had no regrets and didn’t really feel that rejecting the Sharks’ supply prompted any repercussions. “We’ve truly obtained a whole lot of constructive suggestions for holding our floor and never decreasing our firm’s valuation simply to simply accept the Sharks’ supply.”
Listed below are a couple of extra enterprise classes D2C manufacturers can study from Shark Tank India.
What’s subsequent for Moonshine
Moonshine Meadery went into growth mode in 2021 and is obtainable via retail in states together with Maharashtra, Goa, Bengaluru, Himachal and Uttar Pradesh. Given that every state has completely different legal guidelines and mechanisms for alcoholic merchandise, the model is rising the mead undertaking slowly however absolutely.
As for Moonshine Honey Challenge, the model is pleased with Shopify’s conversions and isn’t seeking to function these merchandise on every other platform.
They’re additionally in talks with Printrove to combine their merchandise into their Shopify retailer. Having their merchandise on the identical platform as their merchandise (honey + tour tickets) would make it straightforward for his or her viewers to search out every little thing ‘Moonshine’ with much less navigation.
When requested about their subsequent strikes, the model claimed that they’re engaged on one activity at a time. One factor is for certain – Moonshine will proceed to thrive and construct its group with its distinctive launches whereas contributing to the setting, one jar/bottle at a time.
And Shopify will proceed to help the model with new options and options.
Like thousands and thousands of different companies, Moonshine discovered a dependable ecommerce companion with Shopify. Whether or not you want to attain a nationwide viewers or present on-line procuring ease with versatile integrations, Shopify has all of it.
Arrange your on-line retailer and begin promoting with Shopify’s 14-day free trial!
