Hi Matthew, thanks for taking the time to tell us more about Savora today. Please can you start by telling us a bit about the brand for some of our readers who are yet to hear about you?
Hi, no worries at all, I'm really excited to be part of this. Savora Drinks is an Edinburgh based start-up and we make premium mixers crafted specifically for pairing with tequila - think Gin & Tonic but instead Tequila & Savora. I started the business with my Co-Founder Dani because we realised that all other spirits had their set mixers. You've got Rum and Coke, and Gin and Tonic, but what about tequila? That's where Savora comes in.
Since launching in April 2021 we've been named as Scotland's Food and Drink Start-up of the Year, Scotland's Confectionary & Soft Drink Product of the Year for our Zesty Lime and Sweet Agave flavour and a finalist for the Great British Food Awards mixer category for our Vibrant Orange & Fiery Ginger flavour.
Part of your purpose is to help drinkers re-write their tequila story – can you explain what you mean by this?
Currently tequila has a harsh reputation as a shot to be slammed back at the end of the night. We want to change people’s perception around tequila from slamming back those shots to enjoying it as a premium long serve drink to sip instead. If you bought the cheapest gin and only ever had shots of it, I'm sure most people would say they don't like gin, but with a good quality tonic water it's a different experience. Tequila is exactly the same - pick a good tequila (hint: look for 100% agave on the label), serve over ice with your preferred mixer and you can have a very enjoyable tequila long serve experience. So it's all about looking at tequila serves in a different way.
Still on the subject of your purpose, how is this reflected in your unusual name?
Savora was created by combining two words: Savour & Aurora.
We want customers to sip and savour their tequila drinks as a long serve, whilst also creating unique experiences like no other, inspired by the Aurora Borealis or more commonly known as the Northern Lights. Savora also naturally has quite a Spanish feel to it, which works well for making mixers to pair with tequila!
At Marks & Clerk, we are fortunate to work with some of the most innovative drinks brands in Scotland, nearly all of whom have an increased focus on sustainability. How important is the impact of our consumption habits to you?
For me personally, doing my best for the planet is really important. I wholeheartedly believe that 21st century businesses should only exist if they can have a net positive impact, so we work hard to take steps towards a more sustainable future - ensuring responsible farming of ingredients, offsetting our carbon emissions, repurposing our waste where possible. Sustainability is a journey and no company can be expected to have all the answers from day one, but if sustainability isn't high on the agenda, I firmly believe you shouldn't be in business.
We have also noticed more products emerging from Scotland that wouldn’t traditionally be associated with the country. The gin market is also booming for example. How are you hoping to help consumers associate products around tequila, with Scotland?
Tequila consumption is already on the rise in Scotland. Hot off its success in the US, premium 100% agave tequila is now finding its place in the UK market and people are seeing the potential in this beautiful spirit. For us, it’s all about getting our products into people's hands for the first time. Once people try Tequila & Savora the response is overwhelmingly positive, we just have to get them to try it in the first place! As a start-up it’s all about doing this in the most economical way - attending local farmers’ markets, giving out samples and generally just getting involved in events in and around the Scotland bar scene. Word spreads fast and our awards are certainly starting to draw a crowd.
In the US, tequila and mezcal was the second-fastest growing spirits segment in 2021, trailing only pre-mixed cocktails – what are you working on with Savora to help create a similar success story this side of the pond? Are there any new flavours we can look forward to?
The US is probably 5-10 years ahead of the UK in terms of tequila, mainly because of its proximity to Mexico (the home of tequila) and therefore the ease of accessing the best quality tequila. Now that we're seeing this enter the UK, there are a whole host of spirit brands singing the praise of tequila. But as we know from successes in the past with the likes of premium tonic waters, spirits in the UK are most commonly consumed with a mixer and Savora has first mover advantage and a real chance of becoming the recognised mixer for pairing with tequila.
Since the success of launching Zesty Lime & Sweet Agave in April 2021 we doubled down with the launch of Vibrant Orange & Fiery Ginger in January 2022. Now, after a busy season of events we've got a good idea of what's coming next to the range. Without giving too much away, the two best sellers at our last event were a watermelon margarita and a chilli margarita, we may just have the perfect combination of the two coming to market in early 2023.
As we close in on funding to take our business to the next level, we may just be bringing out some pre-mixed cocktails of our own, combining the two leading trends in the US. So watch this space, lots of exciting developments going on behind the scenes at the moment!
You clearly distinguish yourself as a premium mixer – why did you choose to take this approach as opposed to mass market?
I think it’s really important to find a niche and make the perfect product for that market. Consumption is moving towards 'less but better', so premium made sense to us and to be honest, I didn't like the thought of an ingredients list where I couldn't understand the ingredients, so I just stuck to what I knew - fresh juices and agave syrup! Agave is the sole ingredient of premium tequila which makes Savora the perfect pairing and also means we don't need to add sugar to make our products taste great. Our juices are freshly squeezed in Glasgow and bottled within 48 hours, you can't get much fresher than that.
And finally, a question we’ve been asking other friends of Scran & sIPs™ – as well as each other: What would be your festive tipple of choice from your own collection?
Given the season, my current go-to would be our festive Halloween cocktail. We use 50ml of 100% Agave Reposado Tequila, 200ml of our Orange and Ginger Savora Mixer, and a trickle of grenadine down the sides for that fake blood effect along with some ghoulie Halloween sweets as a garnish. Experimenting with a whole host of tequila cocktails is certainly one of the perks of the job!
