New Beverage Showdown 23 - Finals: Berry Bissap

Speaker 1 [00:14] Right now we're gonna get back to part two of the New Beverage Showdown finals. We have 3 more brands presenting. The first of which is Berry Bissap, the founder and CEO is Akua Kyerematen Nettey. Come on up. Hello again. Please grab your mic. You're quicker and there's your timer. Please keep an eye on it.

Aquia Chairmantanete [00:37] Hello everyone, my name is Akua Kyerematen Nettey, and I'm the founder and CEO of Monro Berry Bissap, West African Spice hibiscus drinks. At Berry Bissap, our mission is to introduce a centuries-old West African beverage to the market that is refreshing, better for you, and full of flavor. Our beverages are made with organically grown hibiscus, indigenous spices lightly sweetened with organic raw cane sugar, and infused with fresh fruit in three of our first skews, which are original, mixed berry, pineapple, and citrus. Our retail price is currently 4.99. So 1 may ask what is bissap? Well, it's a special drink that dates all the way back to the pre-colonial West Africa, originating from the Senegambia Empire, which is modern day Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, as well as portions of Mali and Guinea. The popularity of Bissop has spread throughout the all West African nations and enjoyed during celebratory and casual events. We proudly source our hibiscus and spices from our partner farmers in the northern region of Ghana. Our most of our partner farmers are women, family run and grown and sourced directly and providing steady income in the region that's most poverty stricken in the country. Our mission is to not only introduce bissapop to the world but to provide and celebrate hibiscus as the star ingredient with its amazing benefits with rich history as an African flower. Growing up, my mom would always bring hibiscus and spices from Ghana and would make so much bissap with it that is tart, sweet, and very spicy. I fell in love with its unique flavor profile and always wanted and imagined how it would be to see an African product in the supermarket due to a severe lack of representation. After years of dreaming about it, I finally took the leap in January of 2019. Accurate representation is key in for a product and brand, so paying homage to the traditional recipe means slow steeping and brewing whole clean ingredients, never artificial, never from concentrate. Consumers now care about quality ingredients that are low in sugar but don't sacrifice flavor, have a purpose behind the brand, and also explore products that are diverse and inclusive. We are unapologetically West African with our brand that reflects who we are as a people vibrant, fun, and full of life. Some of the amazing benefits that bis that hibiscus has to offer is that it is anti-inflammatory, high and rich in antioxidants, known for fighting cortisol, and the best part, it is great for all ages, young and old. With some of our product features, one that stands out is that it's versatile, enjoyed, chilled as is over ice, as a cocktail, mocktail, and heated in the winter months. So here we are going to expand our product line by introducing Bissap as unsweetened versions of the current skews, introduce Bissap Blanc and whole hibiscus flowers, which is currently in demand at the moment. So out of our target consumers that I mentioned, one is that it's predominantly women, late Gen Z to early mid millennials. Compared to other hibiscus beverages in the market, ours is the cleanest and the least amount of sugar, no additives, extracts, or sweeteners, all clean, all whole. And we have been fortunate to be featured in some press like Cherry Bomb, Thrillist, Whole Foods, the Food Network, Food and Wine, and the list goes on. And also hibiscus has been named as the top food trends of 2022 and beyond and according to Forbes and New York Times. So we know the importance of working with forward thinking retailers that appeal to early adapters. So we launched and showcased Berry Bissap and Pop Up Grocer last month in Washington DC and saw huge success there. We are also in the goods marts here in New York City and will showcase in Doodles Market and show fields later on. We're currently in over 100 retailers, including Select Whole Foods and Target. We want to grow our retail footprint in regions that we are now in the East Coast, West Coast, and Mid-Atlantic. Building community is a priority for us, so it's important that we build brand awareness through social media and online. We also would love to collaborate with forward thinking influencers and also brands that help us gain visibility. And this is our current retailers that we are in the moment in the East Coast, West Coast, and Mid-Atlantic as we continue to spread and grow deeply and retail footprint. Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 [05:13] Very well done. No, you're fine. If you can just grab one of the microphones. Thank you Bonnie. Let's start with you. Um, I heard a number of people talk about how striking the packaging was for Berry Bissap. What are your thoughts?

Speaker 3 [05:23] I think your packaging is beautiful. I love the graphics that you've used. Um, I think you can really use that to bring your, your brand to life. Um, one of the things that we all discussed, uh, when we were back there was we weren't sure what your brand name was, um, and so making that prominent, um, on your packaging would, would probably work, uh, in your favor when you're building brand awareness.

Speaker 1 [05:46] You can slide up just here so our cameras can get you. Um, Matt, you know, I think, uh, there were two slides up there about the competitive landscape and the market analysis. Competitive landscape, I, I saw you looking at the screen in terms of what other products kind of fit into that set. Does Berry Bissap have the ability to fit into that set and actually make a dent in it? Well,

Speaker 4 [06:04] I, I was curious about that slide and then the innovation slide because you had a pouch on there. That's, that's a pretty cool idea too, um. But, but, uh, yeah, I, we've seen hibiscus plays come and go over time, um, and. I love the on trimness of it as a, a, a, a 2022 trend. So how you play that up is gonna be important, I think, um. The competitive set, I don't know if that helps or hurts because it's not well established and so you can be really the leader there and, and, and help create that, that trend going forward. So you, you may have a competitive advantage if you can get the, the packaging right, the messaging right. Liquid, by the way, is awesome. I think you've just nailed the liquid, so good job.

Speaker 1 [06:48] Danielle, Akua talked about, uh, you know, being unapologetic about West African culture and featuring it, um, as part of the brand. Did that come out, did that come through in the packaging and in the presentation?

Speaker 5 [06:59] Yeah, it did, and that was wonderful. The visual identity in terms of the design is really beautiful, and I really love it, and I have to say for, uh, low sugar delivering on flavor. Outstanding. It's a really delicious flavor experience. Um, that said, I too was a little confused. Is the brand name Momro, is it an Angie's boom chick Chick a pop kind of play, or are you gonna really push Berry Bissap if they're. All called berry or they all berry infused? There's a few things about the positioning that I would want to refine, um, and I would explain it. Sorry, go on.

Aquia Chairmantanete [07:35] Oh sorry, if I can explain that if you don't mind. So Berry Bissap, um, is the original name and I called it Berry Bissap because um it berry the hibiscus is tart like the berry and so I thought it was a nice play on the name. Um, I did add Momro because according to the USPTO. Um, it's considered as descriptive, um, so I did add Momro to it, um, which is, um, a district in Accra where my family comes from, so

Speaker 5 [08:02] got it. Uh, I wanna make one last comment which is just be really careful about the cocktail mocktail. It can be drunk, drunk, drinking heated, um, because you don't want to inadvertently muddle your position. You wanna find the right position, the positions that's most resonant and really focusing on that. Sounds good.

Speaker 1 [08:20] Thank you. Mike, you know, hey, how's it going? Um, in terms of the, uh, education strategy, um, you know, is Akua on the right path in terms of getting people to understand and know what this product is?

Speaker 6 [08:32] I mean, this is gonna be a really hard when you got people like, you know, you just saw Jack of Whack who has more bologna sandwiches in his refrigerator than anyone, so he's, you know, he's, he's using those to put his messages out there into the world and. I mean, I love your brand. I love, I love the flowers and the seeds and the archipelago of seeds or whatever it is on the label there. I mean, there's so many good things happening here, but I just, I worry about you having to be, how many other Bishop brands are there out there right now?

Aquia Chairmantanete [08:58] There are a few. They are very early. Um, we are the leading BSA beverage in the market right now.

Speaker 6 [09:06] What I'd say is those are your friends, they're not your enemies. You need to get together and, and look at messaging cues and some things that are unpack and try to do some things similarly because you're building up a category here and you're gonna help each other a lot. Flavor spot on. So good. Everyone, what everyone said about the flavor, this is one of the best tasting beverages at the show.

Aquia Chairmantanete [09:25] Wow, thank you.

Speaker 1 [09:26] Yeah. And is it the Bissett Blanc that's coming out soon?

Aquia Chairmantanete [09:29] Yes, so it's a special white hibiscus flower, um, that comes from Mali and Senegal. It's so sweet. It has like a nice aromatic sweet flavor to it. Get it in

Speaker 6 [09:38] my belly. Can't wait

Speaker 1 [09:39] for that one. Yeah, I want it so much. Akua, well done.