EP #293 - Florian & Gian Grundböck: From Selling T-Shirts to Selling Gin

Timestamps: 01:30 - The early days of Deux Frères 12:42 - Creating the perfect recipe 16:53 - The importance of building a good brand 23:09 - Market expansion & distribution 33:48 - Working together as brothers About Florian & Gian Grundböck: Florian and Gian Grundböck are the founders of Deux Frères, a gin company. Before founding Deux Fréres in 2016, Gian studied business administration and was a professional handball player at Grasshopper Club Zürich, and then went on to work for an architecture firm as an executive assistant. Florian, on the other hand, pursued a Bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology from the Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). The Deux Fréres story started when Florian secretly distilled gin in the student lab at ZHAW, creating a unique gin which changed colours. Gian and Florian saw the business opportunity in the uniqueness of the gin and began the journey of perfecting the recipe and finding the best distillery for their product. Reconnecting with their family roots in Austria proved useful, as it became the main location to source ingredients and the producing distillery of the gin, which led to the success of the company we see today. After 2 years of starting the company, Florian and Gian had to deal with competitors who were replicating their gin's unique feature: colour-changing. Florian and Gian struggled with the possible failure of their business as a result but remained steadfast in their belief that the quality of their product and the captivating essence of their branding would allow them to stand out and continue their success. They were right! Since its inception, Deux Fréres Gin has grown exponentially, expanding to other markets outside of Switzerland, with its most recent accomplishment being its distribution expansion in China. Florian and Gian hope to captivate the Chinese market with their craft gin and grow it extensively in the upcoming months. Memorable Quotes: "In the future, we aim to be more than just gin producers; we also want to be recognized as flavour producers." "Our entrepreneurial inspiration came from our parents. They enjoy what they do, and this inspired us to do the same." If you would like to listen to another founder's unique journey in the spirits industry, check out our episode with Christof Tremp, co-founder and CEO at Rebels 0.0%, a startup producing alcohol-free spirits. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows, weekly giveaways or founders' dinners!