Tech marketer makes a splash in beverage industry

The founder of Zyra Premium Vodka has used his tech-marketing playbook to build his beverage brand into a spirit of choice for elite Edmonton venues ahead of a public launch on July 25.

"Usually when you launch a software product, you kind of go into alpha, beta, and (other phases), and then you go to what we call general availability, so I took that same domain expertise to the vodka brand," said Zyra founder Courtney Remekie, who also works in digital marketing for Adobe.

Remekie told Taproot he tested his products' viability with events last summer, starting with a charitable golf tournament in support of CASA Mental Health. He targeted this event because golf and drinking go together like vodka and caviar.

"Microeconomics tell you that drinking is down (overall), but drinking is up amongst the people who drink," he said.

After the CASA event, Remekie landed deals with the OEG-owned Fan Park and the Explore Edmonton-operated Edmonton Convention Centre. How did a new entrant to the spirits market reel in such big fish?

"The biggest thing is if you can find the decision-maker," he said. Then, it's about making a case for brand compatibility, quality compared to national brands, and leveraging one-off collaborations — such as Igloofest at Fan Park — to build a lasting relationship.

One such relationship was forged through a collaboration with the Cariwest Caribbean Arts Festival, where the brand will be served again in August. That helped open the door to retail sales at liquor stores, thanks to an intro to decision-makers at North Central Co-op Wine Spirits Beer, which now carries Zyra. As of early July, Zyra is available at 61 liquor stores in the province, including more than 20 Great Canadian Liquor locations, out of a total more than 1,600 liquor stores in Alberta.

"That's how to become Alberta's No. 1 new vodka brand," Remekie said, based on a rating received from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis. "I'm not saying that's much … One good thing about Alberta is that we have so many liquor stores, but the bad thing about Alberta (is also) that we have so many liquor stores."

Remekie contracts The Fort Distillery and Hansen Distillery to make the vodka, which is distilled 30 times and comes in root beer and pineapple-coconut flavours, in addition to a "gold" version that is unflavoured. Hansen and The Fort don't see Zyra as competition because they make spirits for different consumers and purposes, Remekie said, and their name recognition has helped him gain traction in the industry.

"(Working with both distilleries) turned into a better story: a better story for us in general, and a better story for some of the chains," he said. "We're working with the whole community now — two of the biggest distilleries — and supporting Alberta both ways."

There was a Sliding Doors moment when Remekie considered launching Zyra as a ready-to-drink brand, an immensely popular segment of the beverage market. But it was easier and faster to launch a spirit brand first and build a reputation for quality before moving into cans. RTD products like seltzers and cocktails require different canning systems than ones intended solely for beer.

"We really thought about it. We said, 'OK, do we go into the RTD market? Or to do we try to establish the brand itself?'" Remekie recalled asking. "The second piece is that canning is hard in Alberta. That's why there aren't very many Alberta-based companies that have their own RTD; we don't have the manufacturing."

There are a small number of producers who take third-party orders for canning, he added, but order minimums are high, making the upfront cost significant.

Enigma Bar & Kitchen at 10308 81 Avenue NW will host a public launch for Zyra on July 25. Attendees can try Zyra and get 25% off food. The event is sponsored by Poptop Cocktails, which makes canned cocktails in customizable transparent cans.

In the fall, Zyra will be served at Scream, an electronic music festival with headliners such as Tiësto, at the convention centre on Oct. 30 and 31.