CINCiN beverages entered the market around a year ago with a focus on making a lighter, high-quality alternative to traditional drinks.
The drinks company was founded by siblings Julian and Claudette van den Berg alongside their father Frank, and the drinks finally launched on 12 December 2024.
Entering into a volatile and competitive market, the family business was able to succeed in its first year due to its ability to follow alcohol trends and the founder’s business knowledge.
Family affair
While creating the business has been an endeavour years in the making, Julian says, he, Claudette and Frank took a leap of faith last year, quitting their jobs and diving headfirst into the business.
Each member of the family brings different business knowledge to the table, from Frank with his manufacturing knowledge, Claudette with her marketing and branding expertise, to Julian’s experience with startups, focusing on customer experience.
“I think we all come from experience-led backgrounds where it's all about thinking about the end journey and the user journey,” Julian tells Azzet.
Julian says this has always been a dream for the family and that they took their time bringing the drinks to the market.
“It was about a year of a mix of recipe development, trials of manufacturing, and tinkering with the packaging design,” he says.
Claudette says all their different backgrounds help bring the business to life and that working with family has helped drive success.
“In my opinion, it has brought us all a lot closer,” she says.
“We can just rely on each other for all the peaks and troughs.”
Understanding the alcohol market
Claudette says they decided to make spritzes because they are approachable and refreshing, but also because they are what is popular at the moment.
“We noticed the trend people were moving towards more light, more considered drinks that focus more on the quality and the flavour profile,” she says.
“You can just enjoy it to start your night, and then you can move to whatever else you want to drink.”
CINCiN drinks fall into the Ready to Drink (RTD) category of drinks, which has become the fastest-growing category in Australia, rising 15% year-over-year.
Spritzes have also become increasingly popular in bottle shops and bars.
Despite younger people drinking less, these types of drinks have become more popular amongst Gen Z drinkers.
Julian says the downward trend in drinking hasn’t impacted them much, especially with their 25-24 age demographic.
“I don't think our demographic is impacted too much,” he says.
“I think what we're seeing is a bit more of a slowdown in your more traditional drinks, like beers and wines.”
According to the IWSR, wine sales across Australia, Japan and the U.S. have been particularly impacted by the rising popularity of RTDs.
This is due to the marketing and convenience of RTDs, which are even have them creeping into the cocktail market.
CINCiN has used the growing popularity of RTDs and spritzes to its advantage.
“Spritz is really surging, with the culture around it fuelled by things like convenience and innovation in the flavours as well,” Julian says.
“The spritz opens up so much in terms of what can be possible in the drink, and then a bit of that lifestyle alignment as well.”
However, starting a business hasn’t been without its hiccups, as both siblings say their biggest challenge was the competition in the RTD industry.
Despite this, Claudette says there is high demand for these drinks and that they have been able to find a gap in the market.
“We find that we occupy that premium, quietly confident space, where there's a little bit of a gap in the market,” she says.
“Currently, many of many of the current brands on the market are quite artificial, use low-cost ingredients and are really high in sugar, where we're taking quite the opposite approach.”
Julian says he has been “pleasantly surprised” with how the company has grown over the first year and attributes some of this success to their partnerships within the entertainment and hotel space.
“I think there's been incredible support for new business, for local business here in Sydney,” he says.
“Being able to partner with like industry leaders has been huge for us.”
Some of their biggest partners have included the IHG Group, the Hilton and the Sydney Lyric Theatre, as well as supporting small businesses.
“We really understand their businesses, who their customer base is, and how to provide an experience,” Julian says.
“Any way we can support businesses and the communities that those businesses serve, we're all in for.”
What does the future hold?
For the future, Claudette says the company is focusing on “thoughtful, sustainable growth”.
“We are looking to expand our product range, and we're currently in development for a new winter skew,” she says.
She also says they are planning to expand across the country with more partners in Queensland and Western Australia.
“We'll continue to work with our current partners and expand where we are in hotels and hospitality groups,” she says.
“We want CINCiN to be focused on moments that matter across like festivals, travel, entertainment and broader lifestyle experiences, so people can enjoy our drink together in the exciting moments of life.”
