Wednesday, 17 February 2010

Bringing whisky to the masses

Photo by: ITH SOTHOEUTH
Workers bottle Baroso whisky at the company’s bottling plant in Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey commune. After a year in business, the firm has grown sales to 7,000 cases per month, says Founder Prak Ponlork.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We wanted Khmer people to know what whisky is, from its taste to its quality.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:02 Jacob Gold and Ith Sothoeuth

Local brand employs a foreign face to tap into Cambodia’s competitive budget spirits market

INSIDE BUSINESS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THOUGH they may not know his name, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians were introduced to Canadian Ryan Plaumas last year and maybe even had a few drinks together. That’s because Plaumas – a former Cambodian resident and friend of firm founder Prak Ponlork – is the human logo for Baroso Whisky, the uniquely-branded debut spirit of Phnom Penh-based EVL WiskCam Enterprises (EVL).

Since it hit the Kingdom’s shelves in January 2009, Baroso has earned the right to its mascot’s more-suave-than-thou expression.

According to EVL’s President Prak Ponlork, the company sold 500 cases of Baroso whisky in its first month on the market. As of January 2010, monthly orders have reached 7,000 cases each month and are continuing to climb.

From only a handful of retailers in Phnom Penh and among Prak Ponlork’s expat contacts in Battambang, EVL now sells directly to shops and distributors in Siem Reap, Pursat, Takeo, Kampong Speu and Kampong Cham provinces as well, with an eye toward eventual nationwide market presence.

From the tilted glass of its debonair mascot to the moment that inspired its origin, EVL’s Baroso Whisky was a brand built one sip at a time.

Prak Ponlork first encountered Scotch when he attended a joint military training seminar in Australia during his days in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. After a few wild nights with his new Australian buddies, he knew that one day he would “bring whisky to Cambodia”, even if Baroso resembles Scotch more in terms of its style rather than substance.

“We wanted Khmer people to know what whiskey is, from its taste to its quality. Right now, we are priced to accrue market share,” Prak Ponlork said.

So, how did a bout of Scotch-fuelled rowdiness in Australia turn into a US$2-3 bottle of 40-percent-proof rice whisky?

For that, look to EVL’s Vice President Seat Kim-Eang, a longtime friend of Prak Ponlork’s, whose technical work for a French winery afforded him the know-how and industry contacts to assemble the Baroso distillery in Stung Meanchey commune, Meanchey district, Phnom Penh. The centre is where the whisky is bottled, labelled and packaged. It also holds the company offices upstairs.

Throughout 2008, the pair experimented to develop the flavour of Baroso as well as earn safety approval from the Ministry of Industry, which gave them the green light in June.

By January last year, they had their whisky. Now they only needed customers.

With only six employees and a shoestring budget, EVL’s staff took their product directly to the people, riding around Phnom Penh on a motorbike giving out samples to potential buyers.

“At first it was hard. The shops said they didn’t need another bottle taking up space,” said Prak Ponlork.

But after tasting the product and noting the price, several carriers said “yes”. The distribution network continued to grow, largely by word of mouth and unrelenting footwork.

Now, Baroso advertises with outdoor signs and spot ads on television, the radio and in print. The highest spending for ads goes to TV spots during big kickboxing matches on Cambodian stations.

Nonetheless, it is the two faces of EVL – Prak Ponlork and Mister Baroso – that keep the brand growing.

Western look
Prak Ponlork says that the choice of a Western man to symbolise the liquor was deliberate.

“Khmer people are fascinated by something new, especially with Western things, so we decided to make this bottle interesting for them,” he said.

With its busy one-house workshop, which now employs over 40 people and uses recycled glass bottles, EVL is expanding. This January, it launched the E&L Single Label brand, which at $1.50 per bottle is even cheaper than Baroso and aimed at capturing a wider rural market.

Part of the reason that Prak Ponlork wanted to roll out a second brand just one year after launching a first one, he said, is the fun of going head to head with the lower-tier brands and outcompeting them. At the same time, he is nervous about what will happen when the demand for his products outstrips his current operation.

“The hardest thing about this business is not selling the whisky, it’s finding the capital,” he said. “We can’t take out a large enough loan because we have no land to use as collateral. We welcome any companies that want to invest and cooperate with us to make us bigger.”

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

a tặng 7% tổng doanh thu cho người giới thiệu thành công
đồng hồ treo tường 14.000 (1cái) bảo hành 18 tháng 0987.665.777 in logo và thương hiệu (tên công ty hay cửa hàng của quý khách lên mặt đồng hồ ) miễn phí....thích hợp làm quảng cáo . khuyến mãi quà tặng và những chương trình giới thiệu sản phẩm mới.giao hàng trong thành phố miễn phí vận chuyển...xin lưu lại tin này có khi cần dùng đến 0987.665.777 quý khách là ân nhân .........donate 7% of total revenue for the successful introduction
wall clock 14000 (1cai) 0987,665,777 18 months warranty in logo and brand (or company name of your store on the dial) .... suitable as free advertising. gifts and promotional programs to introduce products in the city moi.giao free shipping ... please save this information as needed to your benefactor 0987.665.777

捐赠成功引进了总收入的7%
墙上的时钟14000(1cai)0987,665,777标志和品牌(或表盘上的公司,您的商店名称)在18个月保修......适合作为免费广告。礼品及宣传活动,介绍在城市moi.giao免费送货的产品......请保存此信息需要你的恩人0987.665.777 捐贈成功引進了總收入的7%
牆上的時鐘14000(1cai)0987,665,777標誌和品牌(或錶盤上的公司,您的商店名稱)在18個月保修......適合作為免費廣告。禮品及宣傳活動,介紹在城市moi.giao免費送貨的產品......請保存此信息需要你的恩人0987.665.777
সফলভাবে প্রবর্তন করতে মোট রাজস্ব 7% দান
দেওয়ালঘড়ি 14000 (1cai) 0987,665,777 লোগো এবং ব্র্যান্ড (অথবা আপনার সঞ্চয় ডায়াল উপর কোম্পানীর নাম) 18 মাস ওয়ারেন্টি .... বিনামূল্যে বিজ্ঞাপন হিসাবে উপযুক্ত. উপহার ও প্রোমোশানাল প্রোগ্রামের শহরের moi.giao বিনামূল্যে মৃত্যু মধ্যে পণ্য পরিচয় করিয়ে ... অনুগ্রহ করে এই তথ্য আপনার হিতকারী 0987.665.777 করার প্রয়োজন সংরক্ষণ

成功する導入のための総収入の7%を寄付
ロゴやブランドの壁時計14000(1cai)0987,665,77718ヶ月保証(またはダイヤルでお店の会社名)....無料の広告などに適しています。プレゼントや市内moi.giao送料無料で製品を紹介するプロモーションプログラムは...あなたの恩人0987.665.777、必要に応じてこの情報を保存してください
성공적인 도입을 위해 총 매출의 7 %를 기부
벽시계 14,000 (1cai) 로고와 브랜드 (또는 다이얼에 상점의 회사 이름)에서 0987,665,777 18 개월 동안 보증 .... 무료 광고로서 적합합니다. 선물과 도시 moi.giao 무료 배송의 상품을 소개하는 판촉 프로그램은 ... 당신의 후원자 0987.665.777로 필요에 따라 이러한 정보를 저장하십시오

dong ho treo tuong said...

a tặng 7% tổng doanh thu cho người giới thiệu thành công
đồng hồ treo tường 14.000 (1cái) bảo hành 18 tháng 0987.665.777 in logo và thương hiệu (tên công ty hay cửa hàng của quý khách lên mặt đồng hồ ) miễn phí....thích hợp làm quảng cáo . khuyến mãi quà tặng và những chương trình giới thiệu sản phẩm mới.giao hàng trong thành phố miễn phí vận chuyển...xin lưu lại tin này có khi cần dùng đến 0987.665.777 quý khách là ân nhân .........donate 7% of total revenue for the successful introduction
wall clock 14000 (1cai) 0987,665,777 18 months warranty in logo and brand (or company name of your store on the dial) .... suitable as free advertising. gifts and promotional programs to introduce products in the city moi.giao free shipping ... please save this information as needed to your benefactor 0987.665.777

捐赠成功引进了总收入的7%
墙上的时钟14000(1cai)0987,665,777标志和品牌(或表盘上的公司,您的商店名称)在18个月保修......适合作为免费广告。礼品及宣传活动,介绍在城市moi.giao免费送货的产品......请保存此信息需要你的恩人0987.665.777 捐贈成功引進了總收入的7%
牆上的時鐘14000(1cai)0987,665,777標誌和品牌(或錶盤上的公司,您的商店名稱)在18個月保修......適合作為免費廣告。禮品及宣傳活動,介紹在城市moi.giao免費送貨的產品......請保存此信息需要你的恩人0987.665.777
সফলভাবে প্রবর্তন করতে মোট রাজস্ব 7% দান
দেওয়ালঘড়ি 14000 (1cai) 0987,665,777 লোগো এবং ব্র্যান্ড (অথবা আপনার সঞ্চয় ডায়াল উপর কোম্পানীর নাম) 18 মাস ওয়ারেন্টি .... বিনামূল্যে বিজ্ঞাপন হিসাবে উপযুক্ত. উপহার ও প্রোমোশানাল প্রোগ্রামের শহরের moi.giao বিনামূল্যে মৃত্যু মধ্যে পণ্য পরিচয় করিয়ে ... অনুগ্রহ করে এই তথ্য আপনার হিতকারী 0987.665.777 করার প্রয়োজন সংরক্ষণ

成功する導入のための総収入の7%を寄付
ロゴやブランドの壁時計14000(1cai)0987,665,77718ヶ月保証(またはダイヤルでお店の会社名)....無料の広告などに適しています。プレゼントや市内moi.giao送料無料で製品を紹介するプロモーションプログラムは...あなたの恩人0987.665.777、必要に応じてこの情報を保存してください
성공적인 도입을 위해 총 매출의 7 %를 기부
벽시계 14,000 (1cai) 로고와 브랜드 (또는 다이얼에 상점의 회사 이름)에서 0987,665,777 18 개월 동안 보증 .... 무료 광고로서 적합합니다. 선물과 도시 moi.giao 무료 배송의 상품을 소개하는 판촉 프로그램은 ... 당신의 후원자 0987.665.777로 필요에 따라 이러한 정보를 저장하십시오

dong ho treo tuong said...

a tặng 7% tổng doanh thu cho người giới thiệu thành công
đồng hồ treo tường 14.000 (1cái) bảo hành 18 tháng 0987.665.777 in logo và thương hiệu (tên công ty hay cửa hàng của quý khách lên mặt đồng hồ ) miễn phí....thích hợp làm quảng cáo . khuyến mãi quà tặng và những chương trình giới thiệu sản phẩm mới.giao hàng trong thành phố miễn phí vận chuyển...xin lưu lại tin này có khi cần dùng đến 0987.665.777 quý khách là ân nhân .........donate 7% of total revenue for the successful introduction
wall clock 14000 (1cai) 0987,665,777 18 months warranty in logo and brand (or company name of your store on the dial) .... suitable as free advertising. gifts and promotional programs to introduce products in the city moi.giao free shipping ... please save this information as needed to your benefactor 0987.665.777

捐赠成功引进了总收入的7%
墙上的时钟14000(1cai)0987,665,777标志和品牌(或表盘上的公司,您的商店名称)在18个月保修......适合作为免费广告。礼品及宣传活动,介绍在城市moi.giao免费送货的产品......请保存此信息需要你的恩人0987.665.777 捐贈成功引進了總收入的7%
牆上的時鐘14000(1cai)0987,665,777標誌和品牌(或錶盤上的公司,您的商店名稱)在18個月保修......適合作為免費廣告。禮品及宣傳活動,介紹在城市moi.giao免費送貨的產品......請保存此信息需要你的恩人0987.665.777
সফলভাবে প্রবর্তন করতে মোট রাজস্ব 7% দান
দেওয়ালঘড়ি 14000 (1cai) 0987,665,777 লোগো এবং ব্র্যান্ড (অথবা আপনার সঞ্চয় ডায়াল উপর কোম্পানীর নাম) 18 মাস ওয়ারেন্টি .... বিনামূল্যে বিজ্ঞাপন হিসাবে উপযুক্ত. উপহার ও প্রোমোশানাল প্রোগ্রামের শহরের moi.giao বিনামূল্যে মৃত্যু মধ্যে পণ্য পরিচয় করিয়ে ... অনুগ্রহ করে এই তথ্য আপনার হিতকারী 0987.665.777 করার প্রয়োজন সংরক্ষণ

成功する導入のための総収入の7%を寄付
ロゴやブランドの壁時計14000(1cai)0987,665,77718ヶ月保証(またはダイヤルでお店の会社名)....無料の広告などに適しています。プレゼントや市内moi.giao送料無料で製品を紹介するプロモーションプログラムは...あなたの恩人0987.665.777、必要に応じてこの情報を保存してください
성공적인 도입을 위해 총 매출의 7 %를 기부
벽시계 14,000 (1cai) 로고와 브랜드 (또는 다이얼에 상점의 회사 이름)에서 0987,665,777 18 개월 동안 보증 .... 무료 광고로서 적합합니다. 선물과 도시 moi.giao 무료 배송의 상품을 소개하는 판촉 프로그램은 ... 당신의 후원자 0987.665.777로 필요에 따라 이러한 정보를 저장하십시오