Founder Stories – BOMANI Coffee Buzz

by Foodbevy
August 12, 2020

Let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there. How did your company get started and why?

The three of us best friends, Sam Madani (Co-Founder and CEO), Kai Drewry (Co-Founder and COO) and Amin Anjedani (Co-Founder and Chief of Product & Design), first decided we were going to pursue BOMANI two years ago on June 24, 2018 (also known as “Presentation Day”). On Presentation Day, the business plan for BOMANI was born, and the development of the product began. Amin grew up around coffee (his family owned coffee shops growing up), so he was tasked with the formulation and development of the liquid itself. 

We started going to small breweries around New York and New Jersey areas, and together we pitched an idea that we thought would be sure to excite; Cold Brew Coffee that looked, tasted, and smelled like Cold Brew, but had the cleanest alcohol we could find in it. To our surprise, we were shot down left and right. It took us a while, but through intense networking, cold-calling, and long nights, we found alcohol from sugar (alcohol used in most hard seltzers) and a team of liquid engineers to help us bring BOMANI to life. 

Though it was extremely hard work, we stayed true to our purpose: we wanted to create a delicious alcohol-infused cold brew coffee that was 5.7% ABV with only 110 calories, zero sugar, and zero carbs, made with 100% ethically sourced Arabica beans, that was also gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and vegan. We are proud to say that we have accomplished this goal with BOMANI, and have since signed contracts with some of the largest and most talented manufacturers out there!
 

What is your product and how would you describe it?

Creating a beverage that combined top-notch cold brew with alcohol that would allow the coffee to retain its integrity was an unbelievably challenging, but rewarding process. What we are most excited about in our final formulation is that BOMANI is incredibly versatile. In addition to being enjoyed straight out of the can, we’ve seen BOMANI used as the base for simple cocktails where only a flavored whiskey is added, and we’ve seen world-class bartenders marry rare ingredients to make an elevated coffee cocktail. At the same time, we’ve seen people simply add milk and sugar to BOMANI, offering a smooth beverage featuring the same two ingredients they add to their average coffee. 

When it’s all said and done, what we are most proud of is that we have created the next evolution of coffee + alcohol, two drinks that have been enjoyed by humans for centuries. We love the beautiful simplicity that comes from a product that combines two things consumers love – it’s a universal connection that allows people to focus on the feeling of cracking open the can, experiencing the balanced taste, and enjoying a drink with a spark of energy.
 

How have you pivoted your business this year?

We officially launched BOMANI on March 16, 2020 – just days into the global pandemic. Due to the shift in consumer purchase patterns that happened during this time, we had to quickly pivot our marketing strategy to maintain awareness and ultimately drive sales. To do this, we altered our entire business approach (originally focused solely on retail distribution) to add a complementary DTC channel, shop.bomanicoldbuzz.com. 

We have invested aggressively in digital channels, including content creation, influencer seeding, and a weekly primetime radio show on Dash Radio. Additionally, we’ve had success in expanding our presence on delivery apps, such as Minibar and Drizly, to align with consumer purchase trends shifting towards DTC. Beyond our initial launch, we have some exciting retailer news that we will be announcing soon, as well as widening our distribution to more states. Since we are millennial co-founders in our 20s, we also have an engaged social community on Instagram, who regularly tag us in their posts, and participate in hashtag challenges that we have launched during the pandemic.
 

What is your next challenge to overcome? What help are you looking for?

We have two next challenges to conquer: one is a major geography expansion, and one is the launch in a major retailer. A key factor to our success during the pandemic has been our dedication to disciplining ourselves and staying focused. As part of this strategy, we have been exceptionally particular when it comes to new launches – we insist on committing selectively and thoroughly. In the case of the new geography, we are working with a distributor who truly understands the positioning of BOMANI as a lower calorie, zero sugar, zero carb alcohol-infused cold brew coffee. 

We’ve learned that the retailers in this geography share the distributor’s position and are excited to present the market with a complementary product to the booming hard seltzer category. Most importantly, the demographic in this geography appreciates innovative new products, they love coffee, they’re predominantly young and outgoing, and they have shown a lot of love to BOMANI via social channels. Similarly, the retail chain we’re gearing up to launch in has built a powerful reputation for their dedication to fresh, natural, and transparent products. Since BOMANI complements the other products on their shelves (alcohol & non-alcohol products) and appeals to their target demographic, we are excited to be there launching in the coming weeks. 

In both cases (the geography launch and the retail launch) the most help we could ask for is for consumers to reach out and share with us their favorite cultural aspects relevant to the geography and the retailer. Simply put, we want to listen and learn about what BOMANI can do to genuinely show consumers that we want to respect and appreciate the details of what makes their locale so beautiful. You’ll have to stay tuned on our social channels (Instagram: @bomani.cold.buzz) for the specifics!
 

What do you predict for the food industry over the rest of the year?

We expect the hard coffee space to explode over the next few years, specifically in the DTC realm as consumers are shifting towards this method of buying alcohol during the pandemic, and we predict this trend to prevail post-COVID as well. When we first started ideating around the idea of BOMANI we actually made a venn diagram, since we are all very data driven, outlining white space within the industry for a better-for-you RTD hard coffee which was really the fuel to our fire to create BOMANI. We realized there were other “adjacent” products in the market, but simply put, they appealed to an entirely different demographic. 
 
We see BOMANI as a complement to the hard seltzer industry, being that we use the same type of naturally gluten-free alcohol that goes in those products. Hard seltzer and cold brew coffee are two of the fastest growing subcategories in the beverage market, and we expect both to continue to grow. Both categories capitalize on a long list of modern consumer preferences – most notably, they offer lower calorie, lower carb, lower sugar alternatives to products that consumers love. It is important to transparently disclose the nutrition label – which we at BOMANI do proudly. Finally, we expect canned beverages to continue on their growth trajectory as consumers consistently prioritize convenience.
 
Learn more at www.bomanicoldbuzz.com

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