FLAVIAR, the first European members club for spirits aficionados starts their second year with $400k seed funding and a launch of Flaviar Deals
Spirits subscription commerce startup Flaviar entered its second year of business with the launch of Flaviar Deals – limited sales of selected hard-to-find full bottles of high quality spirits at very special prices.
Flaviar’s unique approach to spirit tasting through storytelling and perfectly designed products received great feedback from the customers, many of whom were interested in the purchase of full bottles as well – thus the launch of Flaviar Deals. Just like the samples in Flaviar tasting packs, Flaviar Deals will also feature a fine selection of spirits, ranging from some of today’s most renowned brands to those from craft distilleries worldwide. The company also announced to have raised seed funding that will be used to pursue further growth of membership and new markets expansion, allowing them to ship the tasting packs also outside the EU.
Oliver Holle, founder and CEO of SpeedInvest, said:
“Flaviar is one of the rare examples that combines a proven model that can scale, with expert founders that think global. It is the poster child of European startups and we are really happy to be part of it.”
First year’s lesson: There is more to spirits than Whisky
To date, Flaviar’s curators already prepared 16 packs with 80 drinks. “In the first year it was all about exploring new categories. Many spirits lovers were amazed to discover that there is much more to top-notch spirits than Whiskies. Rums were one of the biggest surprises and a big hit, but we also introduced our members to some great cognacs, grappas, peated whiskeys and even Austrian schnaps,” says Soba, founder and CEO. “We have some great discoveries on the shelves prepared for our future packs and we are very excited about introducing them to our members – with the last pack shipped, we took them to Japan.”
Personal spirits sommelier on your doorstep each month
Flaviar monthly tasting packs of 5 spirits samples are delivered in a robust and eco-friendly packaging. Each stylish gift-ready black package is a story itself, told by the spirits as well as by witty comments, tasting instructions and one-of-a-kind SmartAss Corner, prepared by Flaviar curators to help you improve your spirits-smarts. “Once they were pirates, arrrr!”, “Star Spangled Bourbon” and “Schnaps of the Alps” are just some of the previous Flaviar packs’ names. Each pack is available at only GBP 24.99, (compared to a GBP 200-300 full bottle price of a typical spirit included). “Flaviar promises to teach newbies to appreciate spirits, engage in new social activity and improve their smarts. As for aficionados, they get a chance to discover new flavours, show off their extensive knowledge and collections, meet with others alike and teach newbies. We encourage everyone to taste and fully appreciate specific properties of top shelf spirits at home , within the comfortable circle of their friends. Tasting experience is best when done in a small group, allowing one to “compare notes” and observations. That is why our tasting packs include five 50 ml samples, which is enough for 3 tasting shots,” says Soba, who is a seasoned spirit-maker himself. “After the tasting members can fill their virtual MyBar cabinets on Flaviar.com with information on the most wanted, tasted or owned spirits, thereby creating valuable feedback for the producers and us as curators.”
About Flaviar team
Flaviar is led by founder-CEO Grisa Soba, a spirits marketing expert who is a spirits producer himself: he has been producing Absinthe Supreme, Fukoff Vodka and Supreme Icon Sparkling wine since 2005. The founding team also includes Matija Rijavec, CTO, a social media veteran & developer who previously worked at London-based on-line influence authority PeerIndex, and Jugoslav Petkovic, an angel investor and product development specialist who founded the biggest on-line shop in Slovenia.
