Arc Beverages - a friendship that brewed the dream
Promising an all-natural flavour without the guilt, Arc Beverages is an exciting new entrant into the hard seltzer market.
Co-founders Thomas and Jeremy met at an RMIT social club during their days as students, which kickstarted both a business and friendship journey.
“Arc” is symbolic of their friendship - the name draws inspiration from the Arcadia Hotel, a place of fond memories for the both of them.
Arc Beverages products share a passion and a love for ethical and sustainable goods and anyone can create lasting memories, guilt-free.
While the pandemic has been challenging for the businesses given social distancing rules and their reliance on the hospitality industry, Arc Beverages adapted to the situation actively to keep their business going.
We caught up with Tom to hear their story.
Hi Tom, tell us why you were driven to create Arc Beverages.
Alcohol has always been my passion. I was working as a distiller at an ethanol plant - not quite alcohol but making alcohol for fuel. Having grown up on a farm, I’ve always felt a connection with alcohol, because we can grow goods on our farm that can be transformed into alcohol. I was always interested in adding value to the agricultural products we produced on the farm. We grow barley there, so alcohol always stood out for me as brewers will take the barley and make alcohol out of it.
Jeremy has worked in the alcohol industry before, that’s where he found his passion.
It says on your website that behind your products are "a team of independent, Australian minds". Who are they and what are they passionate about?
We worked with a cool brewery at Port Campbell to get what we want out of the beverage and was able to put our vision into our drinks. We are well represented by Sow & Piglet, an independent and awesome brewery. They are creating some amazing products down there, so we wanted Sow & Piglets to produce our drink.
What is the most important attribute an entrepreneur should have?
I think it’s being able to reach out in times when you need help. It’s hard sometimes for some of us to reach out to other people and say the words "we're stuck". If you can do that and reach out for help, you’ll be able to perform some activities more efficiently. It’s also good to know when you are stuck and remove your ego in that situation.
What has been the biggest challenge in your startup journey?
Our biggest challenge is also the world’s biggest challenge right now – COVID-19. We had to make a few changes to the business - from a B2B business model to B2C. We attained our liquor licence and are able to sell our alcohol from our website.
Before this, we were planning to use distributors so that products go straight into bars and restaurants. It made us think actively about where we’re going with the next step because we don’t know what the future holds. During this time when people aren’t going out to the bars or restaurants, it’s challenging for the business but we are doing the best we can.
What keeps you going during these hard times?
It comes back to what you’re passionate about. I believe that we’re both enthusiastic about what we have in front of us. Not only in terms of the alcohol but in terms of the products and the brand itself. That’s what keeps us going. We believe in the products we have, and it is a good fit for a light and healthy Australian alcohol market.
What aspirations do you have for Arc Beverages?
We have the ambition to promote Australian native flavours in a healthy and tasty way. Our mission and goal is to create healthy, tasty and sustainable drinks that allow us to promote Australian Native Flavours and to be represented in the Australian healthy alcohol market. That’s what we want to be.
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Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.