How it all began…
As we all know, the best ideas are usually born over a beer, a cocktail or glass of wine with friends. Our story is no different.
The founders, Bernhard and Roman, were travelling in Poland in 2015, and one evening, they arranged to have dinner with colleagues and friends. Since their Polish friends enjoy vodka, Bernhard and Roman also ordered a high-proof schnapps. In order to jolly up the companionable get-together, Bernhard suddenly poured his vodka into his colleague’s smoothie.
When she tried it, she was delighted with the flavour. The drink was refreshing and the vodka went perfectly with the fruity smoothie. Everyone at the table immediately wanted to taste this brand-new creation, and the mutual test verdict fell quickly: “Fresh, fruity and very refreshing to boot”!
And so, Smoovo was born – a Smoothie mix of fruit and vodka.
The idea of the Smoovo was born!
With a whole lot of enthusiasm and anticipating that it was going to be a great product, Bernhard and Roman made their first plans in Poland. An exciting phase began for them, full of highs, but also characterised by frequent lows.
The two of them naturally wanted to put their plan into practice as quickly as possible, and enhance the world with their fresh, fruity, alcoholic smoothies.
The fruit pulp
The first question we asked ourselves was, which flavour would be the right one to get us off to a good start? To find the answer, we arranged countless tastings with many different people. In the end, a mix of mango and pineapple was chosen, and since then, other flavours have also been created, and are ready for bottling.
The search for a suitable supplier for the fruit component proved to be a challenge, but fortunately, we found a renowned Austrian fruit processor, who was able to supply us with fruit pulp of outstanding quality.
The vodka
The next ingredient is the alcohol. Since vodka was part of the concept from the word go, we looked for a vodka producer here in Austria. Thanks to our good network, we were able to establish contact with a distillery near us, which now provides us with exclusive vodka.
Bottling
How is the fruit puree combined with the vodka? In order to do so, we needed a service provider who could process the basic components in the required quality. We found the perfect partner – an Austrian contract bottler who specialises in fruit juices.
Smoovino – Smoothie & Vino Frizzante
We soon discovered that on warm summer nights and cosy bar evenings, the ladies, in particular, enjoyed mixing Smoovo with Prosecco, and so, another alcoholic smoothie came into being.
Smoovino is made of white wine, from a top Austrian winemaker, which is carbonated and flavoured with delicious fruit pulp from the fruit pulp supplier already mentioned.
The wine
All over the world, people know that Austria produce excellent wines. There is a wide selection available, and after many discussions and wine tastings, and thanks in particular, to the experience of hobby sommelier Bernhard, we were able to find an absolute professional in the field of winemaking, to supply the wine for our Smoovino.
Bottling 2.0
The carbonated mixture of white wine and fruit pulp makes Smoovino absolutely unique. The processing requires a lot of expertise, which has been made possible by the decades of experience of our partners and suppliers.
After a long search, we were finally able to find a bottling company in Austria, that combines all of the components, and fills the Smoovino into the glass bottles to our absolute satisfaction.
Way of St James and Smoovino?
Bernhard was determined to walk the Way of St. James. He had no idea that this could also lead to a new business contact. On the long hike to Santiago de Compostela, he befriended a Belgian hiker, thereby gaining a strong partner in the Benelux countries.
The international expansion course is in full swing, and meanwhile, we have found another important contact in Singapore, who has taken over sales for Southeast Asia.
Our team is already looking forward to the next steps and new creations. Be a part of it, and try Smoovino and Smoovo!
Curious? Which drink would be your favourite creation? Visit us on Facebook or Instagram, or simply contact us via the contact form.
Bernhard and Roman look forward to your feedback and new ideas!