Investor proposal
N1CE is a new, green field opportunity in the alcoholic beverages sector. Our product is unique, has a great market demand, and enjoys very little direct competition, thus allowing us to expand rapidly.
Potential exit opportunities include the company’s future IPO plans on a US stock exchange.
For an amount of €350.000, we offer 3,01% of our shares at a share price of €0,7. The minimum investment is 500 shares (~€353).
Idea
The problem this product solves
There has always been a strong demand for mixed cocktails. However, you either have to go to a bar and find a skilled bartender to make you one – often at high cost and with varied results – or you have to have the time, tools, and knowledge to make them yourself at home.
We saw that we could answer the demand for mixed cocktails with a grab-and-go, ready-to-serve product, frozen and packaged in a paper cone. Retailers, hotels, restaurants, bars, convenience stores, events and festivals can serve frozen mixed drinks easily, thereby opening a new, green field marketplace.
How the product solves it
Our business model is focused on producing and distributing a high end product with top quality ingredients, no preservatives, and a consistent, great taste.
With our partners, we are getting the brand out into restaurants, clubs, bars, at festivals and events, and into retail and grocery stores.
We got started first in Scandinavia and test marketed our products in 2015 to great success. We saw very high brand awareness and a lot of support from people, mainly based on the taste and convenience of having a cocktail in frozen form, served in a grab-and-go paper cone.
Gallery
Product
Product features
Our first flagship product is called, “N1CE Frozen Cocktails”, great tasting ready-to-serve frozen mixed drinks with 5% alcohol content in a handy, recyclable paper cone. No mixing, no pouring, no clean up – just grab and go. In this way, we bring the popularity of mixed cocktails to everyone – you no longer have to go to a bartender to enjoy one of your favorite drinks.
Our products come in four classic cocktail flavors:
- Margarita
- Piña Colada
- Strawberry Daquiri
- Mojito
We’ll be adding more products in the future.
Product use cases
Consumers purchase the product either individually at entertainment venues or at a grocery store, convenience store, or other retailer.
For retail sale, the product comes in eight packs that contain two N1CE Frozen Cocktails of each of the four flavors.
Consumers then either enjoy the frozen cocktail on the spot or take them home to put into their freezers.
N1CE Frozen Cocktails are ideal for the beach, the pool-side or just at home chilling with friends.
Market
Target Market
Our buyer demographic is primarily a 18-35 year old, young professional, though we have appeal across all adult age groups and social classes. Major music festivals and events provide an ideal platform to open new markets.
In our first target countries alone – Europe, USA, Japan and Australia – we project total demand exceeding 200 million units annually. In our first full launch year (2016), we are on track to achieve our goals in minimum volume annual targets defined in our contracts with importers, setting the stage for continued, strong and steady expansion.
Competitive landscape
The closest thing to competition we see are unfrozen products in similar cones, but these are meant to be purchased UNFROZEN at retail stores, taken home, put in the freezer and later consumed. Examples include LIC Cocktails, SUCKIT Ice, and Freaky Ice. All of these are in a liquid state when purchased and thus are not ready-to-serve, which makes a huge difference in product uses and buyer interest.
Our retailers and vendors love the ready-to-serve aspect of it, because it is a grab-and-go product. It opens up many huge marketplaces, including festivals and events, currently unaccessible to competitors.
Unique differentiator from competitors
- Quality, with superior taste and a unique texture. Unfrozen competitors have to use preservatives and pasteurization. Our product, with 5% alcohol, is frozen from point of production to the hand of the consumer – thus, we need no preservatives and no pasteurization, giving a far superior customer experience.
- The N1CE is ready-to-serve – a huge advantage – and the customers and vendors love the convenience of a grab-and-go product with no fuss that requires no freezing first.
- The team behind N1CE, our brand ambassadors, and our strong EDM presence are unique dimensions to our company that competitors cannot easily copy.
Business Model
Company revenue streams
- We are a distribution business contracting with key importers.
- N1CE provides recipes/compounds for each flavor to our manufacturers, who produce to our standards.
- Three manufacturers – Sweden, Spain, and Canada – a fourth launching in Japan.
- Current production capacity of over 120 million units annually.
- Distributors in 11 countries, expanding to 20 countries by the end of 2017.
- Pricing to importers is set low to ensure high margins and fast growth.
- Pricing: €2 to €3 each at retail; €4-€6 at festivals/HORECA.
- Sia Glass is our master distributor for northern Europe; Grupo Kalise Menorcina is the master distributor for Southern Europe.
Product/service distribution
Each distributor/importer is contracted with a defined territory, usually exclusive. Minimum initial orders get them started; then they are required to meet annual targets, showing steady increases in annual sales.
N1CE provides:
- Marketing assistance
- Brand awareness
- Advertising
- POS materials
- Other marketing support to help them get started
We also provide strong margins, providing our importers the opportunity to double pricing which makes the product attractive for them to push.
This has driven rapid market penetration in our first 9 countries.
Execution
Previous milestones/traction
SUMMER 2015
First market test and sold approximately 250.000 N1CE Frozen Cocktails, mostly in Sweden, which validated our market potential.
Fully launched in Sweden, Cyprus and Ibiza.
FALL 2015
Secured and negotiated manufacturing contracts with the first production facilities.
WINTER 2016
Moved into signing distributors in our first target markets.
Launched in Denmark.
SPRING 2016
Our first quarter showed that we had sold another roughly 250.000 units.
Launch in Florida; signed Hungary, Estonia, Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.
SUMMER 2016
Our results skyrocketed to approximately an additional 1.25 million units sold.
Next key objectives
Our business plan is focused on signing importer relationships in our first 20 countries by the end of 2017.
- Just by the summer of 2016, we are already halfway there (now distributing in 9 countries).
- Several more signed to launch in the coming months.
- Currently expanding into the United States and Japan.
- Intending to launch in Brazil over the next few months.
- Another half dozen countries in the pipeline.
- We expect to surpass 10 million units sold during 2017.
Previous Financing
To date, we have raised most of our financing from friends and family, plus a handful of key investors – the famous DJs Axwell, Ingrosso and Alesso, among others. Then in the Spring and Summer of 2016, we launched a successful crowdfunding round in the USA under the JOBS Act with its Regulation Crowdfunding, as authorized by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. We raised $100.000 USD in that way in exchange for equity and have another round underway there with a Revenue Sharing Agreement. We are now taking our equity round to Europe and globally with FundedByMe.
Partnerships
Our key partnerships are, first, with our manufacturers – the three on line now are SIA Glass in Sweden, GKM in Spain, and Chapmans in Canada, which serves the entire American market, including the USA.
Second, our key partnerships are with our distributors – we have earned the right to be careful about who we engage as distributors and are now actively targeting the top distribution companies in each market. This summer alone, we contracted festivals totalling more than 2,5 million attendees.
Third, the co-owners have strong connections in the music industry, club scene, and access to heavy branding channels.
Industry Recognition
Industry Certification/Awards
We have not pursued industry awards and, to be frank, there are few awards in our market category because we’ve launched a unique product that is a green field opportunity. We’re certified under the food standards and safety guidelines of each of the countries and territories where we are selling, of course, and that is expanding rapidly.
A key market advantage is our access to retail stores. Many national laws view the product as being in the food category, rather than beverage category. Like with chocolates that contain some alcohol content, N1CE can be sold outside of controlled liquor stores.
Use of Funds
A. Accelerate sales (revenue growth) within existing markets where distribution agreements are in place.
B. Expansion of infrastructure, including adding additional country directors and increased oversight.
C. Expansion of sales and marketing internationally by adding new distributors in more and more countries, launching into retail chains and grocery stores in each market, with a focus on expanding markets across channels.
D. Further import/export contract development and international agreements, and manufacturing.
N1CE USA LLC will be owned through N1CE AB. One AB-share will equal one share in N1CE USA LLC.