“The Irish consumer has changed hugely in the past 20-30 years.”
In Fitzgerald Power’s interview series, we’re speaking to people with different perspectives who feel they can offer more to the workplace, from the water cooler all the way up to the C-Suite. Today, it’s Brendan Colbert of Ireland’s favourite lower sugar premium drinks, Poachers.
How would you feel about giving up your Friday pint? For a growing cohort, that idea is proving more tempting each week. That’s according to the Central Statistics Office at least, which has shown that just 27% of 18-to-24-year-olds drink alcohol weekly, compared with 56% of 55-to-64-year-olds. Indeed, the humble mineral is having a moment, particularly those on the top shelf. “100%,” Brendan Colbert, the CEO of premium low-sugar soft drinks, Poachers, says. “We see it with our interactions with customers as well, both in trade and retail. Without question, there’s a definite shift in alcohol perception, and not only among younger demographics, but across multiple groups. That kind of all came in tandem with the pandemic; people thinking about their health, and also a real appreciation for the Irish countryside for the first time. Suddenly, you saw more and more people going to places like Croagh Patrick and Inishbofin and appreciating the day more instead of the night. Like, where I live, you see more people queuing up outside the gym on Saturday morning than you see outside the pub on Friday night.”
Poachers, a now award-winning business, came about almost by accident. With both hospitality and service in the blood – Colbert’s mother ran Boggans of Kilmuckridge, and his father, a UCD lecturer in management accounting, moonlighted as a sommelier in between managing the family tillage farm – he took it upon himself to capitalise on the then-swelling gin market to create an Irish alternative for tonic. With a business partner, he launched Poachers in 2017 with its first product, a citrus tonic made up of Irish spring water, orange and lemon notes and fresh Irish rosemary. “People thought we were crazy,” Colbert laughs. “Crazy for spending so much money creating a mixer… But we knew what we had could work.”
That instinct, the one that has built Poachers to boast an annual turnover of €1.2 million, was built off the back of Ireland’s changing palate. “The Irish consumer has been changing in a very progressive way for the past 20, or even 30, years,” he says. “Palates have been changing, there’s more disposable income, and a huge thing has obviously been the internet, social media, as well as Irish people literally traveling around the globe and bringing back all these influences. We’re a very open country, very receptive to new ideas, new flavours, new tastes… and really that’s the nub of where all these changes came from. The modern Irish consumer is very interested in what’s happening globally, which allowed us back in 2017 to position our products as international, and of higher quality. But, in essence, we were already preaching to the converted. And thankfully, that change is continuing well.”
Relying on emerging trends is a balancing act. For some, it provides fruitful opportunities. For others, shaky ground. For Poachers, who established their original business plan when going out on a Friday and returning home on a Sunday was a weekly ritual for 20-somethings, their risk has proven successful. “The trends towards health are actually accelerating,” Colbert says. “And there are a number of interesting verticals, even within the soda category, that are emerging that attest to that. Capitalising on trends is obviously how we’ve gotten some of the most interesting businesses in the world, but I think for longevity, you need to keep your core proposition very tight – that way you can weather what comes next. Resisting the urge to shift dramatically between trends as a brand is hard, but worth it. Because in the long run, you just confuse the consumer, or show them that they don’t need it anymore. It’s obviously good to keep an eye on the macro environment, but believing in what you do is absolutely paramount.”
Storytelling has been a huge part of the Poachers brand since day one, with Colbert’s own family farm providing raw ingredients as well as sustainability sensibilities to the brand from the ground up. “It was something we thought about at the beginning,” he says. “But honestly there’s been such an evolution in our story, which has become such a value proposition for our end customers. I mean, there’s so much going on in the world at the minute, but relaying back the story of our unique Irish heritage is something we find our customers love. My family, for example, have been farmers for 200 years, and being able to utilise and capitalise on that has been very special. It’s also definitely a core piece of what Poachers is.”
Throughout changes in the economy and global trends, Poachers have always aligned themselves on one thing: Ireland. With Irish-sourced ingredients – their newest launch, canned sodas, features ingredients like Achill Island sea salt, chilli grown in Galway and mint from Wexford – as well as inscriptions as Gaeilge on the back of each bottle and can, Colbert and his team have remained true to their original prospect: creating a premium product that represents Ireland on an international stage.” “Irish produce has a huge resonance and respect internationally, and we are definitely able to trade on that,” Colbert says. “As a country, even globally, we’re punching above our weight. And that translates to a young, ambitious population who are proud to be Irish, which is why I think you’re going to see Irish representation more and more from Irish brands.”
He pauses, before concluding. “We’re an ambitious country with ambitious people and a great, dynamic population… It’s also kind of sexy to be Irish right now, so why wouldn’t you shout about it?”
Visit Poachers’ Drinks website here.
