Introduction

When friends or family member meets after some gap of time, so they want to enjoy this moment with some drink. Cocktail is a good option in drink. Considering this Mother Son Jodi thought to create something which is healthy and ready to create at home too. Bartisans is a brand that specializes in 100% natural ready-to-pour cocktail mixers. The company has a production facility, ships throughout India, and guarantees a 12-month shelf life for its goods. With a minimum 1% breakage rate, Bartisans runs dark warehouses in major cities like Bangalore and Delhi.

They send you pre-packaged mixers, so you don't have to search for ingredients or do any pre-prep work. In only a few minutes, you can become an expert barman. It just requires the addition of ice and your preferred spirit. India is experiencing a change in the cocktail scene. By making extraordinarily unusual cocktail mixer blends accessible to all cocktail enthusiasts, Bartisans aims to transform this development into a revolution. They use fresh, complex-flavored ingredients in tiny batches to produce their blends.

Bartisans is setting the standard for mixology at home with their enticing selection of handcrafted cocktail mixers. Every mixer has a different story to tell, ranging from the reassuring notes of "Liquid Gold" to the tropical sensations of "Summer of 2000." Customers have nothing but admiration for Bartisans; they can easily turn any area into a classy speakeasy. Popular drinks like the marigold martini mix and ginger whisky sour have gained popularity among customers.

Always remarkable, devoid of preservatives, and all-natural.  What distinguishes them are the following: 1. Their list of pure ingredients is honest. 2. The team is always coming up with new ways to use their distinctive tastes. 3. The group aims to establish a responsible cocktail-drinking culture in India. Bartisans specialises in creating high-quality cocktail mixes for those who prefer to serve up bar-caliber drinks with as little work as possible. Real, fresh ingredients that are found largely locally go into making all of their mixers. Our mixers are made without the use of any chemicals or preservatives. The handmade hand-crafted mixers are made by their all-female kitchen team, who are trained and skilled to ensure the highest levels of hygiene and safety.

Founder’s Journey of Bartisans

Jovita Mascarenhas and Jordan Mascarenhas are the co-founders of Bartisans and they are a family (mother-son duo). Jovita holds a Diploma in Hotel Management and Food Administration. Previously, she was the owner of Shady Ideas, she believes that there is no failure, only learning.

Jordan has studied at Bombay Scottish School, Powai, and for his graduation, he attended Don Bosco College Of Hospitality, Kurla to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration. Before founding Bartisans with her mother Jovita, Jordan also did an internship at The Bombay Canteen and Grosvenor House Dubai and Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa.

The passion of cocktails in the family gave rise to Bartisans. They had brought out all of their duty-free alcohol to keep their spirits up throughout the lockout.

After completing his internship at the Grosvenor House in Dubai, Jordan, a professional mixologist, returned home and decided to employ his cocktail-loving parents, Jovita and Carl, as test subjects. His practice sessions were very popular in our home, to the point where friends were mildly envious (no falsehoods, we guarantee). Thus, the concept of sending make-your-own cocktail kits to other aficionados who were staying at home safely was conceived. The amount of love these kits received was really inspiring.

Before long, they were mixing in a small commercial kitchen instead of our modest home kitchen. They tried a lot until they finally nailed down eight distinct, all-natural, bottled cocktail mixer formulations (we like mixers, but not dangerous mix-ins). This was the first time their tiny black bottles were created.

Over the course of a year, there were eight distinct flavours that increased to 13. Once more, the support shown to their mixers was heartening. They attended food festivals and events, got to know all of their amazing clients, and discovered a wealth of information about their preferences and requests for changes. After hearing, they took action.

They introduced Bartisans in a new avatar in November 2022. They reduced their sugar content, enhanced the mixers for everyone, and improved their packing (Jordan came up with the idea for those cocktail shaker-shaped bottles you see). They manufactured their mixers using only authentic ingredients and achieved the goal of making them ready to pour. They will soon have 18 tastes available.

Not only can cocktails provide for excellent companionship, but they also think that they bring people together. They are constantly a part of a greater whole, a greater narrative.

Business Model of Bartisans

Beyond just mixers, artisanal mixologists craft a whole cocktail experience. Bartisans invites lovers to immerse themselves in the art of flavour, whether it's through the caring touch of their gift boxes, the curated elegance of combo sets, or the convenience of variety packs. They also provide necessary bar utensils in their assortment, so mixing drinks of the highest calibre is a simple task.

A single bottle costs between ₹450 and ₹595, and it has between 38 and 65 calories. They made ₹1.43 crores in net revenue in FY 22–23 (which ended in October) but lost ₹53 lakhs. They predict ₹4 crores in revenue at year's end and ₹80 lakhs in losses. Surprisingly, they only have 1% breakage and only 20% for logistics and payment gateway, leaving them with a 70% gross margin.

Shark Tank India Pitch

On January 26, 2024, the Bartisans Shark Tank episode was aired on Sony TV. The Sharks were enthralled by Jovita and Jordan's products when they were given to them. They want 2.5% equity in return for Rs. 1 crore.

Aman Gupta (Co-founder & CMO boAt Lifestyle) was the first shark to withdraw, citing concerns about market size and scalability. Radhika Gupta (MD & CEO at Edelweiss Mutual Fund) expressed similar worries, pointing out that the market will probably decline as people grew more wary of sugar-filled beverages. As a result, she decided to withdraw. Ritesh also made the decision to decline, stating that he thought it was premature to declare the nature of the company as B2B or B2C.

Peyush Banal (CEO & Co-founder Lenskart.com) also made the decision to withdraw, stating that even if their product was excellent, they should bring in an expert who has grown similar companies in the past and was skilled at haggling with retailers.

But the only shark who placed a wager on the founder was Vineeta Singh (CO-Founder & CEO SUGAR Cosmetics). She offered ₹48 lakhs in debt at 8% interest for three years and ₹52 lakhs in equity for 3%. The founder politely declined the offer since they were not interested in taking on debt at this time.

Conclusion

Presenting their products and ambition to an experienced investor panel on Shark Tank India, Bartisans made a splash on the national scene. The episode highlighted the distinctive path taken by Bartisans and demonstrated how their handmade mixers have become more than just a trend in culture. The mother-son team's narrative emerged as they faced the sharks, establishing Bartisans as a disruptive force in both the Indian startup scene and the mixology industry. In summary, while Bartisans didn’t secure investment on Shark Tank India, its organic success and the founders’ commitment to a quality product position them well for continued growth in the competitive F&B market.