All set to establish operations in Australia, Fever-Tree celebrated with a sophisticated evening of well-mixed drinks and terrific tales at TIVA in the heart of Sydney.
Tim Warrillow, Co-Founder of Fever-Tree, entertained guests with Fever-Tree’s journey to date and planned future exploits in Australia and beyond, interviewed by MC and esteemed wine writer Nick Ryan.
Warrillow said the initial ideas behind the company came from learning about the swashbuckling pursuits of the East India Company. “I mean, it was this extraordinary corporation… at its peak, it had revenues bigger than the UK itself, had its own Army, Navy, currency and its tentacles ran far and wide,” he said.
After researching the company from a product perspective, Warrillow said he delved became more and more fascinated with the company’s interests in the drinks world.
“The East India Company was the company that invented IPA, Indian Pale Ale. They were also the first people to export gin, and they invented Indian tonic water, so that’s how I ended up going down this journey,” he said.
Zeroing in on the gin trade, Warrillow met up with Charles Rolls (Co-Founder Fever-Tree) who had already made a name for himself in the trade by resurrecting Plymouth Gin. The conversation quickly turned from gin to tonic as by extraordinary coincidence Rolls had also been musing on the potential in the tonic market. They agreed that although the spirit trade was undergoing a remarkable transformation globally, premium mixers were almost non-existent at the time. Warrilow told the audience it was the most fortuitous coffee meeting he had ever had.
“Just as people were interested in spending more money on spirits than ever before, and yet they had no choice other than to drown it in this increasingly artificial mixer,” he said.
So, after the duo pinpointed a gap in the market, the next step was how to create really great tonic water. “Well, what it then involved was actually going back into history books and researching what makes a great tonic,” said Warrillow.
Turning into the Indiana Jones of botanical extracts, Warrillow regaled the audience with tales of high adventure in far-flung designations in search of the finest raw ingredients to create the best tonic water possible.
“What we set out to do was produce the very best quality products we could, that was the idea, and my research had led me to discover that there was one last remaining plantation of the highest quality quinine.
“Unfortunately…this last remaining plantation was in just about the most lawless and remote part of the world, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
Two long flights, an even longer taxi ride, a shambolic border crossing, and multiple roadblocks were not enough to put the intrepid Warrillow off, and he got his hands on the top-quality hero ingredient he was searching for.
A reflection of his dedication to quality and taste, ultimately, Warrillow said this exciting new adventure for Fever-Tree in Australia is set against a “wonderful backdrop” of appreciation for quality spirits.
“You know, the great thing about Australia is you enjoy your spirits,” he said. “There’s an awful lot to go after. I think it’s going to be an exciting few years ahead,” he concluded.
Photos: Wes Nel Photography
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