The MHW Mark Podcast

Demonstrating Brand Authenticity through Philanthropic Partnerships - with PJ Andersson

• Episode 43

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National Police Week is May 11-17 in the US. Host Jimmy Moreland and MHW's Brigid McCabe chat with Golden Bay Distillery cofounder and CEO PJ Andersson about his brand's partnership with the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

This episode is a masterclass in brand storytelling, and demonstrating brand authenticity through concrete action paired with intentional marketing strategy.

Find out more about National Police Week: Website

Visit Golden Bay Distillery: Website


More info about MHW at https://www.mhwltd.com/
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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the MHW Mark podcast, where we take deep dives into various aspects of the alcohol industry. My name is Jimmy Moreland. Mhw is a US and EU beverage alcohol importer, distributor and service provider Co-hosting with me. Today I am pleased to welcome back MHW's Bridget McCabe. How you been.

Speaker 2:

Hi there, jimmy, I'm doing well. How are you?

Speaker 1:

I'm very, very well. We're having fun. Today we're doing something a little bit unusual in that we're back after a one-week break. Usually we do two weeks, sometimes longer. Why are we coming back so quickly? Can you tell us why?

Speaker 2:

We have so much great content in the hopper for all of the listeners. We have so much great content in the hopper for all of the listeners. Just so many wonderful MHW brands that we're working with that are really coming alive this spring to activate in the US. There's a lot that is going on in terms of trade associations and events coming up. We want to make sure that you don't miss a second of it. Obviously, with what's going on in the larger economic environment, with tariffs and that kind of thing, marketing and sales is even more important right now. So we want to give you listeners a great edge on how you can bring your brand forward and connect with retailers and consumers alike.

Speaker 1:

And the brand that we're talking with today is really interesting. I think that folks will really enjoy the conversation and I say it during the conversation this founder is so laser focused on telling a story. He just oozes authenticity, Like clearly this is something that's really important to him on a personal level and it just oozes through his brand and the story. And we've planned this out to where this episode will actually drop in the week leading up to National Police Week. And can you tell us why we might have planned it that way, Bridget?

Speaker 2:

On purpose. This is a brand with purpose and we have purpose when we're dropping the podcast. So, yeah, we're really excited. Golden Bay Distillery, like I mentioned, is a brand with purpose and they are activating for National Police Week, coming up starting Sunday, may 11th, in several of MHW's markets. So you know it's something that, with chatting with PJ about some of the plans for the brand, that what we saw was really an inspirational model. He is donating 100% of proceeds for one of his SKUs, champion Gin, towards this. So really excited to kind of hear more about the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, what the brand is doing, but then also some advice for brands who are thinking about incorporating a charitable component into the fabric of their brand and their story and how to find the most authentic and genuine way to do that.

Speaker 1:

It's a great conversation, so let's jump right into it. Our guest today is the CEO and co-founder of Golden Bay Distillery. Welcome to the show, PJ Anderson.

Speaker 3:

Thank you very much. I'm super happy to be here.

Speaker 1:

It's great to have you here. It's great to have you here locally, at least in the same time zone. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself, PJ, and why I might have just made that comment?

Speaker 3:

Sure, no problem. So very international, born South African, lived in London, afterwards went to Tokyo for five years, new York for ten years, hong Kong for five years, new York for 10 years, hong Kong for 10 years, back to the US now for the past sort of five years, and now I'm based here. But, as you know, I have a distillery in New Zealand, so we do have a few things going on.

Speaker 1:

Well, let's get to that. As much as I'd love to have some Japan chat, because I lived there for a few years, but we got to stay on topic here. Talk about the distillery, Tell us about the when, the where, the why, how it came to be and how you came to be on this podcast chatting about it.

Speaker 3:

So I'll start off with how we ended up getting into the alcohol industry. So my silly joke is I wanted to do something fun and intoxicating after many years in finance, and clearly booze is top of the business for both of those. What I didn't quite get was the cash flow that we're still working about, but the fun is there and really, I'll be perfectly honest, this is a purpose thing for us. We've been super grateful with what experiences we've had, and now it's a give back for us, so everything we're doing is really around that, and so we've been given a platform to do that, and so that's how I ended up here.

Speaker 2:

That's incredible. Thanks for joining us, PJ, and I know you've been a longtime MHW client many years. Recently we chatted and you let me know that your brand has established an official partnership with the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund. Can you tell us a little bit about this memorial fund?

Speaker 3:

So the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is based in DC. They do three very important things. The first thing is they manage the memorial where officers' line of duty deaths are recorded. The second thing they do is they tell the American law enforcement story. And then the third thing is they do is that they focus on reducing in-line-of-duty deaths. So three very important things that that organization does. And obviously they are intricately involved in Police Week, which, if anybody has an opportunity to attend Police Week, it is worth doing. It is a most moving experience. There's a vigil on the lawns in front of the Capitol. There's not a dry eye in the whole place. If you get a chance, bring your kids. This is a place to come and get a real sense of what law enforcement does for us.

Speaker 2:

Can you share about the product developed and inspired by this Memorial Fund and Police Week, and can you tell us more about the partnership that you've developed around this?

Speaker 3:

So you know, we own a brand called Champions Gin, and Champions Gin is all about champions in the community, and for us, there are few better examples than law enforcement men and women of being champions. They put themselves in the line of danger for us, so they champion everyday other people, and so the opportunity to be able to tell the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is an honor for us, and what we did is we've created a bottle which it's personalizable for officers' names. It has a blue light on it and so very, very symbolic, and the whole idea behind that brand is around the principle of some gave a lot, others gave it all. We give 100% of the money, which is over $20 a bottle, to that important cause, and our goal is to sell as many of those bottles as possible.

Speaker 2:

That's so great to hear that, and I think a lot of brands are looking to do or activate similarly. However, I think for that to be really grounded in your ethos of the distillery and not just sort of like a innovation skew or something to kind of do on the side the fact that it is throughout your entire brand fabric is really, really impressive, and we're so happy to have you on as clients. I appreciate you.

Speaker 2:

There's one thing I wanted to touch on. One thing I was really impressed about when we chatted was that you had put together some really smart programming for activating in-market for National Police Week starting Sunday, May 11th. Are you able to share with us some of that strategy and how that came about?

Speaker 3:

Sure, sure, sure so as it comes to the activation of it. So what we've done is we've created an activation which is called Paint the Bar Blue and, as I mentioned, the whole ethos of this is about being grateful for the champions in community. And so our idea is that, through the product which we donate, 100% of the money let me just say 100% of the money goes to the National Law Enforcement Office Memorial Fund. That's over $20 a bottle. What we, through the paint the bar blue, is that the bar owner and the bartenders are able to tell the National Law Enforcement story and in that we then have the effect of expressing gratitude to law enforcement. And the idea is pretty simple it's three cocktails, all with a blue tinge to them, all with Champions Gin in it, and, because we have a big give on the back end, all the bartenders and all the bar owners have to do is serve the gin. And we're doing activations. We've got our first one at Arugas on May 1st, and people are going to show up to say thank you to law enforcement, and what you'd like to say is you're going to pour with a purpose as a bartender and you're going to sip with a purpose as a community member. So I think it works pretty well.

Speaker 3:

And obviously I want to go back to it's the platform of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund that it's all about. It's their story. I mean, what they do for us is the first thing they do is they run a memorial, and I think it's important that everyone knows that there were 345 line of duty deaths and those 345 names are going on a wall and that's pretty serious, and so we're able to help with that. We're able to help tell the story of law enforcement in America. And then the third thing is they spend a lot of time learning. How do we take down the number in the line of duty deaths? So the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is doing an amazing job and so we're super proud to be here to be able to tell their story, and that adds a little bit of purpose to what we do, which you know get some gray hairs like me. It's that time of your life that, uh, and especially, you call the brand a champion.

Speaker 2:

You know you better champion things and you better be a champion you know, I love the fact, when you're talking about this, that you're bringing it into the local communities because I think the connectivity of it and you know even bringing it to the on-prem, because I think the connectivity of it and you know even bringing it to the on-premise level, in specific, like neighborhoods, it's really important to tie everyone together. And you know, jimmy served in the military and I have a lot of connections in the fire force, so not the police force but FDNY. So you know, civil service is certainly something that I think involves all of the communities and I think it's really smart to kind of give back in that way.

Speaker 3:

And watch both those spaces in time just as a little forward. But my boys are both in volunteer fire, so watch that space. And military, you know. Again, these are all champions and we should recognize them.

Speaker 2:

And what would your top two to three pieces of advice be that you give to other beverage alcoholic brands who are seeking to activate a charitable component of their brand?

Speaker 3:

I think the first one is do as I say, don't do as I do. You know I'm still learning lots of lessons about building a profitable business, but certainly you know, obviously we're big beliefs and purpose, you know, and at the end of the day is obviously the path that we're down. The important thing, when you think about the purpose and the partnership, is really three things that I'd throw out to incorporate. The first thing is you've got to be authentic. This is not sticking a label on something. It's about the integrity of the brand and, as you highlighted earlier, champion's Gin to its cause, cause about being a champion and telling other people's stories. So it's really while we wake up in the morning. So from that perspective it's easy.

Speaker 3:

The second thing is that you really need to think about integrating that mission completely into the brand. You know it's not just activation. Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's actually about the label, it's about the product, it's about the story, it's completely integrated. And then the third thing we say is that you've got to give the platform to that purpose that you're serving. So for us, it's all about the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. It's their voice, it's their story that we want to tell and we want to use that story because that's where the magic is.

Speaker 3:

Like, you know, this is not a bottle of gin, this is a mission in a bottle. Like that's the cool thing and that's what gives us the ability, you know, and the energy to run at walls all day. But again, there's a lot of people who do a lot more difficult things. You know, one thing I'll share with you that always strikes me when we think about the law enforcement is that every day, they leave the home not knowing if they're coming home. Think about that. I mean, it's pretty scary. And again, ability to tell that story and have people appreciate exactly what they do, say thank you, express some gratitude that's hopefully what the Champions' Journey Heroes Edition can help do.

Speaker 1:

On this podcast. We've been doing this for nearly two years now. If there has been any through line with every brand that we've talked with, it has been authenticity and story are some of the big keys to success and you've done an excellent job of just man. If you have been coached on message, give that coach a raise. And if you haven't been coached on message, well then we perhaps need to hire you as an independent consultant for some of these brands, because, wow, just the focus and discipline on that message is really impressive and it's something that I hope the brands out there do take to heart. Let's step aside from that. Let's talk about the liquid and let's talk about the physical distillery. You know I'm a geography nerd so I looked up physically where Golden Bay Distillery is, there on the north end of the South Island of New Zealand. Can you talk about the distillery itself, the production of the liquid, what goes into the bottle, the label? Can you talk about that end sort of the nuts and bolts of it?

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. Golden Bay Distillery is positioned on the South Island of New Zealand. We're in the northwest corner, right in the middle of a national park, and when I say we're in a green part of New Zealand, people aren't probably going to consider because they're like all of New Zealand's green. I'm talking a green part of New Zealand. So we sit on the clearest spring water in the world, certified by NIWA. Now our distillery feeds an aquifer, obviously to get the water, so that water has a viscosity and a flavor profile that we think is super special. So that's one of the interesting things. The second thing is that it's all family owned. You know ourselves and my partner previous partner Terry unfortunately Terry passed away created a family distillery with a family actively involved. Terry's built a big distillery. Terry was a man who saw a future before others did, and what I mean by that is that our distillery has enough room for trucks to drive through it. His father was a wealthy man, gave him the money and Terry went all in, but obviously that allows us, as we grow our story, to be able to deliver product. So I'm truly blessed for the vision that Terry set us on well ahead of our time.

Speaker 3:

You know, terry was built in the middle of the Aroa Lodge, in the middle of the Abel Tasman. So what does that mean? He shipped over tons of materials because the only way to get to this place is to helicopter in or hike in, and Terry said I'm going to build a lodge here. People said, terry, you lost your mind. And he did it. I mean, he's unbelievable what he did. The other thing he did and this is obviously part of another podcast in the future but we grow the only agave in New Zealand. Oh wow, in greenhouses, like 28 years ago. Terry and his buddy are having a drink and Terry decides I want to do something that no one's ever going to do again and no one would think of. I'm going to make New Zealand's only agave, I mean, and we grow in these greenhouses. 28 years later, we're finally ready to launch it's that's incredible.

Speaker 3:

I mean, that's like forward vision it's unbelievable like he was so far ahead of his time now. Now, as you know how long it takes to grow the product, you know this is super exclusive. We will probably do 452 bottles this year. They are hand-sold. We used to sell them at a distillery. Now I'm bringing them to the US. We're doing a full rebrand. It'll be super exciting.

Speaker 3:

There's whole stories about it. For those who make the impossible possible and Terry did that Terry lived that life and my belief is that that product will become a conversation for others who've lived a life of making the impossible possible, and we've got some very cool ideas about wrapping purpose into it, because obviously that's part of the theme. Now I went a little bit off, a little bit about some of the products and I hope I hit some of the points you wanted around the distillery. So, in terms of the gin itself, you know we've effectively created what I call a gin for vodka lovers. So when you say gin to many people, they get very scared. So what we did is we make a phenomenal vodka. It's called Juju. It's all about good energy. It's another great story. We'll talk about that another time. It's all about good energy. It's another great story. We'll talk about that another time.

Speaker 3:

But for our gin we created the world's easiest sipping gin and when you sip this gin it's a delicate flavor profile. Yes, there's still juniper in there. But because we make a great vodka, we can make a really good gentle gin Because a lot of gins they layer a lot of complexity and botanicals on top of what is not a great vodka. But we're happy to showcase that vodka and through the gin we have an expression of that and so when we taste with people I'll get I don't drink this. And then they're like I don't drink gin, but I drink this and that's what we want to do. So we've tried.

Speaker 3:

You can say let's be aggressive, democratize gin. So a gin for vodka lovers. And you know we love it that we've been able to put purpose around which allows us to get lots of people enjoying the product. So I encourage people try a bottle and call me if I'm wrong. I've said it probably 25,000 times. I've tested this product and people are like oh my God, this is dangerous. Now that I'm going to be a bit careful about. We want responsible drinking, but it is just very, very easy to enjoy Negroni martini on the rocks with lime. I mean most people you say, put gin on the rocks with lime, they'll be like. You know, is this Jägermaster 2.0? It's not. It's a very, very beautiful light spirit. You know, I distill as Sue Benserman worked for Terry for a long time and she's a chef by training. She's a phenomenal palette and she created this beautiful light gin stylistically Bombay, sapphire, tanqueray, if you wanted, for sort of a quadrant to play in.

Speaker 2:

It has its own uniqueness too.

Speaker 3:

It definitely does. You know it definitely does. That's great.

Speaker 1:

For people whom you've sold on, getting a taste of this gin for vodka lovers, as you say. How can they do that and how can they, in turn, support your partnership with the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund?

Speaker 3:

So first thing is obviously the awareness, and I'd like to thank MHW for allowing me to be on the program today to tell the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund story and exactly what they do. The second thing is that you know I speak to different people. So for bartenders, you know we like to say that they're at the front line of the mission. You know they pour with purpose when they pour the Champions Gin because it allows them to tell the story, you know. To the bar owners, you know they built their bars around community and this product is all about community. It's about thank you for people in your community.

Speaker 3:

And then the third group that it's for which is probably the most difficult bit. It's for them. It's those who have people who've left. This is some way that we can say thank you to them for all the support they did when they saw their loved ones leave every day. So thank you to them. And then, fourthly, to the rest of us. You know, by purchasing a bottle bottle, you're donating twenty dollars a bottle to the national law enforcement officers memorial fund. That's unheard of in this industry and the reason we do that is because of that's that phrase. Some gave a lot, others gave it all, we give it all, and so, again, I think that's really important that we are out there saying thank you, um, and I think through this, we people can do that and, most importantly, tell the story, because that's the platform, that's what we want to know. We want people to know all about what the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund does and, obviously, look them up.

Speaker 1:

We'll have a link in the show notes to the website so that people can follow up and find a way to have a taste and to contribute.

Speaker 3:

One of the other things that's really important is, frankly, the on-premise and the off-premise, and we want to say a huge thank you to them because without them the Paint the Bar Blue wouldn't be happening. And so the support that we've received and remember we're in New York and we're Jersey going to DC, so those are our big states for Paint the Bar Blue Next year, hopefully the whole country, but total wine in New York and New Jersey have been amazing to us. You know the wine guy has been amazing, the bottle buys. You know Arugas hosting an event, vetro hosting events. You know, in DC it's. You know the Irish Channel, it's the Irish Times.

Speaker 3:

All of these organizations have just been super supportive and so that's made our job a whole lot easier and I truly appreciate that support because that's what the partnership's about. I mean, if you said to me, pj, like while waking up in the morning, it's those partnerships, because that's where the magic is, you know where people get what you're doing, and they're like I'm in, like I'll buy five cases, like let's go. So you know that's, that's pretty special. So you know faith in humanity, in the worlds we live in these days, that if people are like oh, no one cares.

Speaker 1:

I'm telling you, people care, so you know again, that to me has been a fantastic thing and obviously I really want to thank him for that. Let's move on to our final question, our fun question that we like to ask every guest that we have, and that is simply what is your favorite adult beverage?

Speaker 3:

So for me, I'm definitely a Pinot Noir drinker and that's one of the reasons I'm not in that business, because between my wife and I we would definitely have financial problems if we were, you know manufacturers. But if I stick in the spirit space, a dark and stormy is my happy place.

Speaker 2:

That is just a great cocktail for me Sounds delicious, and we're recording this on a Friday, so that might be the plan later on, exactly.

Speaker 3:

It might be a few of those.

Speaker 1:

I have to follow up and ask. So Dark and Stormy is a rum-based drink. To my knowledge, it doesn't look like Golden Bay has a rum. What's your go-to that? Maybe when you're demoing your products? What's your go-to cocktail for that, your product? What's your go-to cocktail?

Speaker 3:

for that. So one of the things that we really well I personally enjoy is, to be honest, is Champion's Gin Block of Ice and a touch of lime. That simple and that is my go-to drink and obviously the story obviously for me, my personal story is that my dad was my champion and so he inspired me to be a champion to other people, and so when I drink my gin I connect with him. But that's my personal story. Everyone else has a story about their champions and I think that's the greatest story of Champions Gin is that it gives you a way to tell your story.

Speaker 1:

Well, I want to say thank you so much, PJ Anderson, for joining us and having a great discussion. For folks who want to check out goldenbaydistillerycom, there will be a link in the show notes. Pj, thanks for stopping by.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely no problem and thank you for a phenomenal opportunity to tell a National Law enforcement officer's memorial fund story. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

And thank you listeners for joining us on the MHW Mark podcast and thanks again to Bridget McCabe for joining me in hosting.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, nice to be here.

Speaker 1:

This podcast is produced by me, Jimmy Moreland, with booking and planning support by Cassidy Poe and Bridget McCabe. It's presented by MHW. Find out more at mhwltdcom or connect with MHW on LinkedIn. Lend us a hand by subscribing, rating and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen. We'll be back in your feed next week. We'll see you then, Cheers.