Side Hustle Project turned Minimum Viable Product

In Brief

The Ask:

Create a side hustle project to show ideation, conceptualization, and executions.

Challenge:

Create an original project to show your tenacity for creation.

Solution:

Created a project turned Minimum Viable Product called Everything But the Booze (EBTB). A new small business mocktail beverage in Richmond, VA.

My Roles

Conducted research on industry trends, competitor strategies, and market dynamics to understand the competitive landscape.
Identified key competitors, their strengths, weaknesses, market positioning, and strategic priorities to gain insights into their strategies and capabilities.
Conducted taste tests, interviewed experts in the field, and held focus groups for package design, flavor and branding feedback.
School project turned into LLC
Established copyright and trademark documents

The Background

Imagine your first semester of college. Most likely some butterflies, some excitement, and the curiosity to learn more. Now throw yourself into a group with 3 other people you have never met before, and conceptualize ideas until something sticks.

That’s exactly how this project started.

Our interviews and market research provided this insight:

Mocktail options are dull and boring. Our audience still wants to feel they are part of the party, but mocktails don’t feel “fun.”

Everything But the Booze (EBTB) is a Mocktail Beverage business that started as a school project. While the team was conducting interviews and providing tastes tests in the local community, we realized how positively the community responded and decided to take our project to the next level: creating an LLC.

Consumers Are Willing To Try New Beverages:

More and more Gen Z consumers are choosing sober curiosity over drinking. Between 2021 and 2022 non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverage sales increased by 96% with Gen Z accounting for 33% of those sales.

Over the past five years, social media conversations and mentions suggest topics related to sobriety can be positive and fun instead of boring and shameful.

39% of consumers say they are more motivated to purchase a new drink if it features familiar flavors.

Motivators to Purchase a New Drink as an Alcohol Substitute

Everything But the Booze (EBTB)

Everything But the Booze is an MVP currently trying to hit market in the Richmond, VA area.

During the construction of EBTB, there were many iterations of package design, product flavors, and brand tone. All of these were carefully considered through extensive research. This research included focus groups, store visits, in-depth interviews, and expert opinions.

In fact, once EBTB had solidified packaging, flavors, and tone the brand had an immensely positive impact on the Richmond community. Over 500 people responded positively during taste tests and pitch meetings.

Flavors

Images by Hunter Chambers

Margarita, That’s Hot

Throughout research, consumers gave feedback to bring extra heat. They wanted to feel the (good) burn as they were drinking this flavor. Inspired by this research and a little bit of Y2K “Margarita, That’s Hot” brings a spicy kick to each sip.

Images by Hunter Chambers

Phat Ass Mule

An overwhelmingly fan favorite during our taste tests, “Phat Ass Mule” won the heart of our consumers. Initial feedback included adding a bit more ginger and lemon to replicate the flavor of an alcoholic mule. During a taste test one consumer stated “this is by far the best mocktail mule I’ve ever had.”

Images by Hunter Chambers

It’s Sangria, Biotch

The most cheeky of all the flavors. This RTD shocktail proves EBTB is ready to hit the shelves. “I swear I’ve had this before, because it tastes just like the real thing." (Quote pulled from market taste testing). Initial feedback for this drink included adding more orange and cinnamon - leaving room for more fruity and sweet flavors. “It’s Sangria, Biotch” brings it all.