We were lucky to catch up with Gabriel Oliver-Kose recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I spent the better part of ten years working in Colorado’s bar and restaurant industry. During this time I grew a passion for fermented food and drinks. For me, watching that magical transformative power that is fermentation was amazing and I wanted to share my discoveries with our customers. My first batch of fermented ginger beer was far different than what we bottle today, but it set me on a road to create a truly unique beverage mixer and sipper. I found it strange that the beverage mixer market was inundated with mass produced, sugary and additive driven options. I knew our customers, and many others deserved something better, so in 2019 I decided to start bottling my ginger beer and sell it retail to other bars and restaurants in the Denver Metro area. Turns out it was a big hit and we haven’t stop creating and fermenting since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Gabriel Oliver-Kose and I am the owner of OliKo Ginger Beer. We create delicious ginger based beverages offering functional, good-for-you ingredients, exceptional flavor, and beneficial probiotics through natural fermentation. Our approach to business is minimal and transparent and this is reflected in our products. We never us “natural flavors” or preservatives and our ginger beers are low in sugar and high in fresh, organic juices, herbs and spices. Created with the cocktail enthusiast in mind, OliKo Ginger Beer functions as a balanced mixer and offers a refreshing, spicy kick as a stand alone sipper.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

“Own your backyard.” It’s advice that has been given to me again and again and it speaks true. In 2021 we set our ambitions high, trying to grow above our means. This put the company in a tight spot and it wasn’t until after that lesson that this saying held true. We are learning that effectively growing your customer base, means fostering close relationships with people in and around your community.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

We are fortunate to live in an age where communication is so fluent and easy. We rely on our monthly newsletters, social media and other web based platforms to keep our brand followers up to date. Our favorite method though is speaking to them face to face. We partake in active in-store demos and local farmers markets where we get to interact, learn from and get to know our customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.olikogingerbeer.com
• Instagram: @olikogingerbeer
• Facebook: facebook.com/olikogingerbeer

Image Credits
Joe Friend Photography – Pic 1 Fortem Media – Pic 2