14 Jun 2019 UK: Start-up Nice launches canned wines
With the global alcoholic RTD market on a strong growth curve, British start-up, Nice, has sexed up the wine-in-a-can concept, launching a pale rosé and a sauvignon blanc for Sainsbury’s 600 stores.
The brand’s pale rosé is sourced from outside Montpellier and the sauvignon blanc comes from Côtes de Gascogne. Both are said to be “dry, crisp, vegan and very swiggable”.
Nice is targeting the on-the-go drinking occasion with 250ml slimline cans, which are 100% recyclable.
London-based Nice is led by entrepreneurs Lucy Wright (co-founder of Cuckoo Bircher Muesli) and Jeremy May (formerly of Propercorn and Vita Coco). This depth of experience gave the pair the know-how to achieve £300,000 in funding from angel investors prior to launch.
Key players in this investment were Cassandra Stavrou and Ryan Kohn of Propercorn.
“Cassandra and I come across a lot of exciting food and drink businesses, but it’s often the simple ideas that really grab our attention,” said Kohn.
“Quality wine in a can that is accessible to all makes real sense to us, especially given Nice’s strong brand identity, convenience and environmental benefits. Jeremy was one of our early Propercorn employees, responsible for building our export business, so we have huge confidence in his tenacity and in Lucy and Jeremy’s proven track record as entrepreneurs.”
Tom Elliot of Sainsbury’s added: “Nice is quality wine in a can that has mass market appeal and is 100% recyclable, which made it a no-brainer to Sainsbury’s. We have seen fantastic growth in single formats and convenience, and this category has performed phenomenally in the US. We love the brand; the cans will really pop on-shelf.
“We were also impressed by the two very experienced and ambitious co-founders driving the business forward. We’re looking forward to seeing the reaction of our shoppers as we roll Nice out to 600 stores across the country. We think the convenience element will be especially promising for the picnicking and festival season.”
The wines have a recommended retail price of £3 per can.
Source: FoodBev.com