Wanaka entrepreneur Chanelle O'Sullivan launches Borage+Bee honey-based sparkling alcohol drink in 330ml Aluminium cans

The 32-year-old entrepreneur, Chanelle O’Sullivan hailing from Wanaka, a resort town on New Zealand's South Island launch of her new start-up Borage + Bee Meadery, brewing a modern New Zealand version of the traditional mead wine.

The lightly alcoholic sparkling honey-based drink packaged in sleek aluminium can with an attractive watercolour artwork on the can by Wanaka artist Sophie Melville.

The distribution took the product on the shelves of large food store Moore Wilson’s in Wellington this week and O’Sullivan is working with several bars and restaurants, and some supermarkets and liquor outlets, to stock it also.

The production capacity is limited for now and the can design stimulates the interest of potential international buyers; however, O’Sullivan has plans for greater things.

O’Sullivan said: “Even from the release of the style of the can imagery online we’ve had international export requests from like China and Dubai and L.A. and Australia so that was quite overwhelming. So hopefully that’s something we can look into in the next 24 months.”

“Covid-19 has hardly affected the business’ development apart from some samples stuck in a laboratory fridge for six weeks.”

“Apart from that, it hasn’t hampered it too much, to be honest. Being a food product we are probably going to be lucky as well if there are future lockdowns, we’re in an industry that can continue.”

Presently, 7000 cans of Borage + Bee has been launched with the second run of about double that soon to be produced. The second batch would be sweeter, like a cider, while the first was dry.

The first brew was done in an Auckland brewery and the second also possibly from there again; however, in the future, she is anticipating brewing in Dunedin or Wanaka and will raise capital to achieve that.

New Zealand has only two breweries, which has the infrastructure to produce this product from start to finish, as it’s a unique product with no sulphites and preservatives, which signifies other methods has to be used to stabilise the product.

“Borage + Bee were a little more expensive than beer and cider but not a lot”, she said. The recommended retail price for a four-pack was $18.99 which was about $4.75 a can.