We were lucky to catch up with Laura Pringle & Laura Graves recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Laura & Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Laura and I struggled with this question for quite a while. We had friends’ input. Family suggestions. None of them really resonated. Our LLC was easy – LauraSquared. Why not? We’re both named Laura and our circle of friends already referred to us as the Lauras. But our brand – what were we going to call our little quarantine experiment gone small business? One day when we were standing in a line of a coffee shop – and it was not Starbucks – I said to Laura, “wow, it takes some moxie to open a coffee shop in the shadow of Starbucks.” That’s when it struck us. MOXIE!

Moxie means many things, but in a nutshell, it evokes descriptions of courage & determination. It is often used as a noun given to women who overcome, or have grit, spunk, bravery & resilience. At that time, we had just one flavor in our liqueur line: Ginger. It is a fierce flavor stocked full of fresh organic ginger. Few can drink it straight, but it made amazing cocktails. It resonated with us. Next was the trademark research and how did we want to spell it?

The word, moxie, has a 100-year history in the American soft drink industry. We were pretty sure we were not going to use that spelling, but what would we use. After some variations, moxii, moxee, moxie, MOXY stood out. It passed the trademark research, so we continued. Next, we combine moxy with our product type, Italian-style liqueurs (or Cello’s). Our name was born: moxYcello. moxY for strong and cello for Italian-style liqueurs – Strong Liqueurs. moxYcello is 80 proof, same as your vodkas and whiskeys. It was an immediate fit.

We designed our logo around the capital Y as a martini glass. That was the brand we wanted to build: creating elevated cocktails for the craft cocktail enthusiast. moxYcello Liqueurs are engineered to be less sweet, bold in flavor, and full-strength. No more polite cocktails and sipping aperitifs that leave your palate uninspired!

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We often tell our customers who ask this very question that we’re an accidental business. We did not start out to open a liqueur business when we were all in ‘quarantine’ during the Covid pandemic years. We came across a cocktail in our favorite wine bar that also had a small offering of craft cocktails. That fateful day back in 2020 we were offered a cocktail called a Honey Ginger Cosmo. It was tasty enough, but I wanted to know what they used to create the cocktail. The bartender gave us the recipe and we went shopping.

Now, I really like ginger and although the cocktail I tried didn’t taste heavy in ginger, I would have added more for myself. When we found and tasted the liqueur they were using it was so light in ginger flavor I chided that they must have waved a ginger root over the top and called it ginger. We proclaimed that we could do better than that and started experimenting in our home to develop a ginger liqueur of our own. And boy did we. It was extremely savory and almost too much ginger to drink it straight. We dialed back the amount of ginger and then it made a lousy cocktail. So, that clinched it for us. We were not going to water it down. We were going to keep it full-strength because the results in a cocktail were simply inspiring!

After about 18 months of organic sharing with friends and family, and the bartenders at our favorite wine bar, that establishment offered to put our reimagined cocktail, the Ginger Cosmo, on their restaurant menu. It was a crossroad moment. We knew by sharing with those we knew that we had something unique. Every base-spirit this savory liqueur was added to just became something so delicious it gave us pause to think of giving away the recipe to one place. We were heading to our summer vacation and bounced this idea off our friends and we all came to the same conclusion: keep it.

We returned that summer in 2021 to that local wine bar and negotiated making it for them while developing our own business plan to launch our business.
Our Gingercello set the bar – not to sweet, bold in flavor, and high ABV to create exceptional cocktails. We new a business could not survive on just one exceptional liqueur, so we began creating our “cello line.” We now have 4 more flavors: KONA Espresso, Limone, Orange, and Ginger-Orange. All our liqueurs are made with natural ingredients, no artificial colorings or flavors and no preservatives. All are handcrafted and small batch. And, we have partnered with local resources as much as possible.

During our research and development of our “cello line,” we learned what sets us apart. While there are a lot of liqueurs to choose from, moxYcello liqueurs have their own niche. We promise to always deliver powerfully re-imagined flavors that have been missing in the marketplace. moxYcello is here to revive your senses and stimulate your appetite for bold flavors. We are not the least bit apologetic – we are committed to filling every bottle with the most powerful flavors to elevate your cocktail experience, or we aren’t doing it.

What problems does this solve for our clients? Our customers agree. Bold, full-strength liqueurs make fabulous cocktails. We’ve developed more than 30+ signature cocktails and growing every month. Our tasting room offers our customers an equally elevated environment, as well. No TV. No distractions. Come be with people. Socialize. Enjoy unique libations that always reliably deliver on our promise.

We’re proud of our accomplishments. Neither of us are from the alcohol/spirits industry. One is a retired cardiac nurse and the other has a project management background in a technology field. Not only did we reimagine a liqueur product line we reinvented ourselves through research, supportive friends and family, and supportive spirits brands that have become our partners in business. Being in business has continued to cause us to evolve and grow. We continue to learn what we didn’t know and we continue to use our business chamber resources to help us grow both as individuals and the business as a whole. People are generous and are willing to share what they know.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Consistency and authenticity. Consistent quality in our product followed up with consistent quality of our cocktails. Our attention to detail and not compromising on quality, be that service or the product you serve, will generate loyalty. We’ve found that in our customer base and every new customer that walks into our business. We connect with our customers, and in turn, it has been through their “word of mouth” that we have continued to grow. Also, we are very involved in our Chamber. We show up, connect with other small businesses, and support each other. This also generates “word of mouth” and brings in more customers.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Punctuating on the quality of the product, every customer that walks into our business is greeted in the same manner, welcoming and warmly. They’ve chosen to spend their time, and their money on an experience. Our new customers are delighted at their discovery and often will purchase a bottle before they leave. That is a great compliment to our effort as business owners that we’ve got it right and agree that our business model, full-strength liqueurs, is what our customers want. Our returning customers know they will be treated like family and will consistently experience elevated cocktails in a welcoming atmosphere.

Additionally, our business chamber membership and consistent attendance parallels our promise: To always and reliably deliver powerfully re-imagined flavors that have been missing in the marketplace. No more polite cocktails and sipping aperitifs that leave your palate uninspired.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://moxycello.rocks/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moxycello
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moxycello
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moxycello
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/moxycello-littleton
• Other: Google Business profile and reviews.

Image Credits

Laura Graves, member & co-owner of moxYcello