BROKEN SHED VODKA
TAKES ON US MARKET
They’re drinking it where?! Wanaka’s Broken Shed Vodka last year tripled its US
sales and increased its number of stocking outlets by 1300%...and it’s patting the
backs of two key appointments in the market to continue the success.
Following its soaring success in
the United States over the past 18
months, Broken Shed Vodka is eyeing
its other potential markets. One of
its two high-profile industry veteran
appointments in the past month – new
executive vice president of business
development Steve Bellini – says it’s
clear that retailers across the States
are re-evaluating their selection of vodka
brands. As almost one-in-three bottles
of spirits sold in the US is vodka,
the evolution is quite natural, he says.
“I’m confident that Broken Shed is a
unique and profitable opportunity in
the changing vodka set.” The company
has come a long way since starting to
manufacture its award-winning vodka
and rolling it out across the US. Known
for its distinctive and clean taste, the
vodka uses two natural ingredients
– whey distillate ‘Milk Honey’ and
water taken from two pristine sources,
including a naturally mineralised
15,000-year-old aquifer in the Southern
Alps. The brand’s founders – ex-pat
Americans living in New Zealand –
realised they had amazing resources
available to them and set out to develop
their proprietary vodka recipe from
an old shed on the shores of Lake
Wanaka. With Kiwi drinks alchemist
Mark Simmonds on board, they perfected
the recipe and named it Broken
Shed to honour the brand’s birthplace.
Executive vice president Bellini has
more than 40 years’ experience in
world-renowned brands such as Jägermeister,
Captain Morgan, Crown Royal,
Maker’s Mark and Absolut Vodka. He is
joined by new chief marketing officer
Jean-Marie Heins, who comes from
top shelf brands Casamigos Tequila,
Grey Goose Vodka and Jägermeister.
He says the brand has shown great
promise throughout Connecticut, New
Jersey, Rhode Island, Kentucky and
California, with Michigan being introduced
to Broken Shed this month. The
growth has coincided with a number
of prestigious awards for Broken Shed
Vodka, including a Platinum Medal at
the 2017 SIP Awards and Double Gold
in Spirits at the 2017 74th WSWA
Exhibition & Convention Tasting Competition.
Wanaka local and co-founder
INNOVATION
Mark Simmonds says the brand is in
a strong position going forward, and
believes these new appointments will
play a pivotal role in growing the brand
in the US and internationally. “For a
small vodka brand out of Wanaka,
we’ve seen some great success over
the years. This comes down to the
smooth taste of our vodka, which has
a universal appeal and a taste profile
that has received some incredible
reviews from drink critics across the
USA,” he says. “We are exactly where
I dreamed we would be in terms
of breaking into the US market and
making some real inroads and traction
there. I’m excited to see where our
team will take the brand and the level
of success we are yet to achieve.”
Heins says she is proud to join Broken
Shed Distilleries. “I am incredibly excited
to have this opportunity to work
with our Kiwi-based and US teams
to further develop the brand. Broken
Shed Vodka is a gem of a product with
a fantastic clean, crisp taste and a
wonderful brand story.”
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