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Five Pittsburgh City Spots Offering Mocktails
The Bitter Housewife
Drinks shouldn't have rules!
Portland, OR
Food & Beverage
The Bitter Housewife makes small-batch, award-winning cocktail bitters and zero alcohol canned beverages in Portland, Oregon.
$151,169
raised
128
Investors
$5.5M
Valuation
$1.00
Price per Share
$500.00
Min. Investment
Common
Shares Offered
Equity
Offering Type
$1.07M
Offering Max
0
Days Left
This offering ended on November 04, 2021 and is no longer accepting investments.
Reasons to Invest
Revenue from January 2020 to January 2021 has grown by 537% with a 395% increase in direct to consumer sales in 2020 alone
The Bitter Housewife has received numerous awards including the 2018 Good Food Award, the 2018 Gold Sofi, 2018 Product of The Year from the Specialty Foods Association, and Best of 2019 by BevNet Magazine.
The trend of drinking less continues to grow. 52% of U.S. adults report trying to or already reducing their alcohol intake and the global non-alcoholic market is expected to reach a record $1.6 trillion by 2024.
Be bitterly honest: drinks shouldn’t have rules!
“What makes The Bitter Housewife bitter?”
Being told an Old Fashioned shouldn’t have a cherry in it.
An eye roll because I ask for cheap bourbon and a perfect ice cube.
Drinks shouldn’t have rules.
We’re here to let you off the hook and encourage you to embrace what you like. You can’t stand the taste of whiskey, there’s no shame in that. Prefer your wine in a juice glass? Me too! You don’t drink alcohol at all? We support that.
At The Bitter Housewife, we believe in flavor first, all real ingredients, and that drinks should be fun.
So far customers seem to appreciate our Bitterly Honest approach. During 2020 our Direct to Consumer sales grew by 395%.
With numerous awards, collaborations with some of the most recognizable brands in the US, and hundreds of happy (often sober) customers - we truly believe we’ve hit a real connection with what people are wanting to drink.
We hope you join our team as an early investor as we continue our expansion in 2021 and beyond!
The Problem
The no-alcohol market lacks a sophisticated option
There is a sense of ritual to having a drink, and for many, it signals the end of a day when we shift our focus away from work toward friends, family, and personal life. Socialization often includes some sort of beverage, but if you’re not drinking alcohol, the choices can feel underwhelming or even patronizing. A glass of water, sugary soda, or fruit juice just doesn’t honor this ritual the same way. Many adult non-alcoholic beverage options are generally full of sugar or caffeine. If you choose not to drink alcohol, we believe you still deserve a crafted beverage with complex flavor.
The Solution
A sophisticated non-alcoholic sparkling drink that easily feels like a part of the ritual
The Bitter Housewife Bitters & Soda is sparkling, has a complex flavor, and is beautifully packaged, too. Our sparkling beverages are made with whole ingredients and have no sugar or sugar substitutes, no caffeine, and no alcohol. Made with the same integrity as our award-winning bitters, our ready-to-drink Bitters & Soda is a flavorful drink you can have any time of day.
These testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.
Our beverages are satisfying and refreshing, without loading you down with calories or making you feel jittery. They are made to be sipped at any time of day and pair well with food.
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The Market
The no- and low-alcohol market is continuously rising
Rising participation in Sober October and Dry January is a sign that health and wellness trends are gaining traction across the world and providing new opportunities for the global beverage industry; not just during those months but year-round.
In 2019, IWSR’s “Low- and No-Alcohol Report" stated that 52% of U.S. adults who drink alcohol are trying to or have reduced their alcohol intake and 76% of consumers say they will continue to drink low- or no-alcohol beverages as regularly or more regularly in 2021. Alongside the non-drinker, even the drinker is drinking less nowadays, even at home in a pandemic.
Alongside the global low/no alcohol ready-to-drink market due to increase by 31% by 2024, the global nonalcoholic beverage market is expected to reach a record value of $1.6 trillion by 2024.
Our Traction
Massive growth in D2C sales, plus major collaborations, awards, and media coverage
In 2019, we started to put more focus on our direct-to-consumer sales, which has paid off heavily during the pandemic. During 2020 we grew our DTC sales by 395% and finished the year with $402k in revenue. The attention given to online wholesale marketplaces like Faire.com has allowed us to expand our retail presence across the country without salespeople, brokers, or adding additional distributors.
Our numerous awards include the 2018 Good Food Award, the 2018 Gold sofi, 2018 Product of The Year from the Specialty Foods Association, and Best of 2019 by BevNet Magazine. We also continue to receive countless glowing reviews from satisfied customers!
What We Do
Whole ingredients, a full flavor profile, and zero sugar
The Bitter Housewife Bitters & Soda is made in small batches in our Portland, OR facility from whole ingredients. It is a craft, non-alcoholic beverage with sophisticated flavors and absolutely no sugar. A unique beverage that isn’t trying to be anything it’s not, Bitters & Soda has been said to be a great alternative to NA beers or even the whiskey drinker’s sparkling water.
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While Bitters & Soda is a great thing to drink when you’re not drinking, it’s also a refreshing late afternoon beverage and goes really well with food. The bitter flavor supports digestion, cleanses the palette, and helps to curb sugar cravings.
The Business Model
Multiple revenue streams with high profit margins
Our diversified revenue streams keep us from being too dependent on any one channel and allow us to shift focus as things change while holding a 64% average gross margin across all channels. 46% of our revenue is sourced through distributors such as Point Blank Distribution. 27% of our revenue is DTC (Direct to Consumer). 15% of our revenue is sourced through new disruptive wholesale marketplaces like Faire and Pod Foods, and 12% of our revenue Direct to Retailer. We are currently in over 750 stores nationwide centered in the Pacific Northwest.
How We Are Different
The Bitter Housewife values quality, depth and intricacy of flavor
Many beverages in the no-alcohol market space are indistinguishable lab-produced flavors, full of sugar, sweeteners, or caffeine, and created by marketing firms. The craft brands typically fall into one of several categories: “better for you” soda, non-alcoholic beer, adaptogen/CBD, and bottled mocktails.
Our Bitters & Soda is a daily drink without the pharmacological effect, calories, or effect on your energy. Formulated through a proprietary process, using whole ingredients to create a unique and layered flavor, it replaces a cocktail or beer occasion while reducing cravings for sugar (PubMed).
Additionally, by operating our own production facility, we control quality and supply chain, while still retaining the capacity to scale.
The Vision
Creating community while expanding and innovating our repertoire
Our vision is to create a community of people who don’t believe in magic bullets or that health requires deprivation and sacrifice, but instead embrace and engage in conversations about moderation and balance of all things. We are fighting against the marketing message that one “magic” thing will fix you, we believe you’re already awesome just the way you are.
To spread our message, and Bitters & Soda, we will launch at least two more flavors, establish a membership program, and expand our retail availability across the Pacific Northwest in the next year. From there, we plan to continue to innovate new flavors, expand our DTC package options, and open up key distribution regions across the country.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Drawing on our own expertise, while working with some of the best advisors in the biz
Co-founders and wife and husband duo, Genevieve and Dan Brazelton, launched The Bitter Housewife because they felt this kind of product was missing from the market and wanted to be a part of the positive change. Genevieve has led a varied career in the hospitality industry and created some award-winning products, which include Portland Sangria, RAFT Syrups, and of course The Bitter Housewife. Dan Brazelton pulls on his experience from across various industries and roles to drive operations and brings his execution experience from production roles for EA Games, Sony, NBC, Disney, and Fisher-Price and his sales experience as a startup founder.
Our board of Advisors include Diane Aylsworth (Aunt Fannies, Stumptown, Nestle), Sujit Srinivas (Craft Brew Alliance, Intel), Carrie Bischke (Facebook, Ubisoft, Mattel), Emily Hruby Halpern (Pabst, Horizon Organic), and James Schermerhorn (Cirrus 10, Spark Red, Pivot Tree, Oracle).
Why Invest
The no-alcohol movement is here to stay and we’re leading the charge with a game-changing new beverage
The trend toward cutting back or forgoing alcohol is only increasing, as we become a more health-conscious society. Pair that with a drink that is delicious and easy to take anywhere, and you have the potential for significant growth. We are taking a bite out of the 86 billion-dollar no-alcohol segment with a category-defining zero alcohol, zero sugar beverage. Our Bitters & Soda has a taste to satisfy the sober and sober curious movement, as illustrated by our 395% growth in DTC sales during 2020.
Bitters & Soda is a bitterly honest beverage ticking all the boxes for today’s educated consumer, with an authentic brand story, clean label, unique flavor, and satisfying taste. With a highly skilled team and numerous awards under our belt, The Bitter Housewife is here to stay.
These testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.
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Offering Summary
Company | : | Improper Goods, Inc. |
Corporate Address | : | 3961 N Williams Ave Suite 100, Portland, OR 97227 |
Offering Minimum | : | $10,000.00 |
Offering Maximum | : | $1,070,000.00 |
Minimum Investment Amount(per investor) | : | $500.00 |
Terms
Offering Type | : | Equity |
Security Name | : | Common Stock |
Minimum Number of Shares Offered | : | 10,000 |
Maximum Number of Shares Offered | : | 1,070,000 |
Price per Share | : | $1.00 |
Pre-Money Valuation | : | $5,497,708.00 |
*Maximum Number of Shares offered subject to adjustment for bonus shares. See Bonus info below.
Time-Based:
Friends and Family Early Birds
Invest within the first 48 hours and receive additional 15% Bonus Shares.
Super Early Bird Bonus
Invest within the first week and receive additional 10% Bonus Shares.
Early Bird Bonus
Invest within the first two weeks and receive an additional 5% Bonus Shares.
Amount-Based:
Tier 1 | $500
Mix Case of Bitters & Soda + 5% discount for life.
Tier 2 | $1,000
5% Bonus Shares + 3 months Subscription + 5% discount for life.
Tier 3 | $2,500
7% Bonus Shares + 6 months Subscription + Mocktail Kit + 10% discount for life.
Tier 4 | $5,000
10% Bonus Shares + 12 months Subscription + Mocktail Kit + 10% discount for life.
Tier 5 | $10,000
20% Bonus Shares + 12 months Subscription + Mocktail Kit + 10% discount for life.
*All perks occur when the offering is completed.
The 10% StartEngine Owners' Bonus
The Bitter Housewife will offer 10% additional bonus shares for all investments that are committed by investors that are eligible for the StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. OWNer's bonus.
This means eligible StartEngine shareholders will receive a 10% bonus for any shares they purchase in this offering. For example, if you buy 100 shares of Common Stock at $1.00 / share, you will receive 110 shares of Common Stock, meaning you'll own 110 shares for $100. Fractional shares will not be distributed and share bonuses will be determined by rounding down to the nearest whole share.
This 10% Bonus is only valid during the investors' eligibility period. Investors eligible for this bonus will also have priority if they are on a waitlist to invest and the company surpasses its maximum funding goal. They will have the first opportunity to invest should room in the offering become available if prior investments are cancelled or fail.
Investors will only receive a single bonus, which will be the highest bonus rate they are eligible for.
Irregular Use of Proceeds
The Company might incur Irregular Use of Proceeds that may include but are not limited to the following over $10,000: Vendor payments. Salary payments made to one’s self, a friend or relative. Any expense labeled “Travel and Entertainment”.
Show More
Most recent fiscal year-end:
Prior fiscal year-end:
Total Assets
$203,350.00
USD
$189,727.00
USD
Cash And Cash Equivalents
$22,819.00
USD
$15,165.00
USD
Accounts Receivable
$63,526.00
USD
$52,787.00
USD
Short Term Debt
$314,335.00
USD
$250,060.00
USD
Long Term Debt
$315,544.00
USD
$149,595.00
USD
Revenues And Sales
$401,710.00
USD
$741,120.00
USD
Costs Of Goods Sold
$193,309.00
USD
$209,407.00
USD
Taxes Paid
$2,556.00
USD
$1,435.00
USD
Net Income
-$353,133.00
USD
-$49,381.00
USD
Risks
A crowdfunding investment involves risk. You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. These securities have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. Furthermore, these authorities have not passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of any securities offered or the terms of the offering, nor does it pass upon the accuracy or completeness of any offering document or literature. These securities are offered under an exemption from registration; however, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not made an independent determination that these securities are exempt from registration.
Updates
NO TIME TO DILLY-DALLY OVER A BITTERLY HONEST OPPORTUNITY
7 months agoIn just 3 days, this round of The Bitter Housewife investment opportunity will be closed. We'd hate for you to miss out!
Take a look at our Q3 2021 Highlights:
We exceeded our Q3 direct wholesale sales goal by 51%.
We launched Grapefruit Bitters & Soda, and it looks like it could be our new top-selling item.
We launched Bitters Sampler Kits in two versions.
The successful StartEngine campaign brings us very close to our $500k financing goals.
October 2021 gave us our highest number of monthly sales ever.
This is your LAST chance to join this round.
WHAT'S COMING FOR THE BITTER HOUSEWIFE?
- Launch 2 More Flavors
- Establish Membership Program
- Expand Retail Availability
Join us now and share while the opportunity is still open!
Cheers,
Genevieve and Dan
Q3 2021 Highlights
7 months agoHighlights
We exceeded our Q3 direct wholesale sales goal by 51%.
We launched Grapefruit Bitters & Soda and it looks like it could be our new top selling item.
We launched Bitters Sampler Kits in two versions. Sampler Kit #1 sold out in a few weeks.
Both Grapefruit Bitters & Soda and the Sampler Kits are back in stock with plenty of inventory to get us through January.
Our request to increase our EIDL loan was approved, bringing in an additional $350k capital with very favorable terms. With the successful StartEngine campaign this brings us very close to our $500k financing goals.
We have found a canning and bottling partner - Back Forty Beverages. We have already had 2 canning runs with them with excellent results. This has proven to lower our COGS and free up our attention. We are still making our base beverages and will continue to do so, but this is a more efficient packaging solution.
Quarterly Sales:
Q2 2020 |
Q3 2020 |
Q4 2020 |
Q1 2021 |
Q2 2021 |
Q3 2021 |
|
Revenue |
$56,077 |
$105,350 |
$203,326 |
$171,890 |
$124,045 |
$167,861 |
Our Twelve Trailing Months (TTM) revenue is $667k, a 168% increase over TTM from a year ago.
Lowlights
-
We missed our Direct to Consumer sales goal, but here is what we are doing to correct it:
We’ve brought on a contractor to level up our email campaigns and automatic flows.
We’ve hired an agency to manage our social media and create regular content for us.
We completed a full-day lifestyle photoshoot to give us more evergreen content with people enjoying our beverages that will be used on social, paid socialism, and as a refresh for our website.
We are increasing our digital ad spend.
We are working with an agency to rebuild our website with a focus on a better user experience and increased conversion rate.
Building up inventory to prevent out of stocks, which has slowed down sales.
Asks
We have just 2 weeks left on our StartEngine campaign. Please help us get the word out. We have met our goals, but are happy to bring in some more investment before closing the round.
-
We're hiring for a marketing coordinator, which will support all marketing efforts but will focus on direct-to-consumer goals. This is a junior candidate position. If you know any potential candidates please send them to:
http://thebitterhousewife.com/careers
Thanks
Thanks to the new StartEngine investors for joining our efforts! It takes a bit of time to get your information and process your perks - but they will be coming soon.
Thanks to all who have been patient with us as we work out some of the automatic discounts and subscription coupon issues. There were some unexpected technical kinks that should be resolved now. Please reach out to us if you have any further difficulties.
Cheers, Genevieve and Dan!
Notice of Funds Disbursement
7 months ago[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello!
As you might know, The Bitter Housewife has exceeded its minimum funding goal. When a company reaches its minimum on StartEngine, it's about to begin withdrawing funds. If you invested in The Bitter Housewife be on the lookout for an email that describes more about the disbursement process.
This campaign will continue to accept investments until its indicated closing date.
Thanks for funding the future.
-StartEngine
First Round of Perks Out the Door
10 months agoThe first round of investor perks is all out the door. We've seen on Instagram that a few folks have already received theirs. You're each getting a can of our newest flavor of Bitters & Soda - Grapefruit along with coupon codes for subscriptions or mixed cases. The lifetime discounts have proven to be a bit more technically challenging than we expected to truly make them valid for a lifetime and apply to everything in your order. We're on a path to a solution, but it still may be another week or two before we have that information for you.
For those of you in the second round of investors, luckily we've worked out a lot of the kinks for fulfilling perks. We're aiming to have all your perks out before the end of the month.
Cheers!
Genevieve and Dan
Notice of Funds Disbursement
10 months ago[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello!
As you might know, The Bitter Housewife has exceeded its minimum funding goal. When a company reaches its minimum on StartEngine, it's about to begin withdrawing funds. If you invested in The Bitter Housewife be on the lookout for an email that describes more about the disbursement process.
This campaign will continue to accept investments until its indicated closing date.
Thanks for funding the future.
-StartEngine
Getting Ready for the Holidays!!
10 months agoJuly and August are the beginning of holiday prep when it comes to CPG companies. Smaller stores are starting to look at what they want to have on the shelf for the holiday season and larger stores are beginning to expect deliveries of merchandise. For us, August brings the first of a handful of deadlines for Williams Sonoma orders we'll be fulfilling.
This year we're super excited to be rolling out two new bitters sampler kits. While we've done kits in the past that have been extremely well received, this year we decided to offer something at a lower price point that will work as well in grocery as it does in specialty gift stores. Of course, they're also super cute. We'll be rolling them out on our website and across our wholesale marketplaces in the coming weeks.
Third Flavor of Bitters & Soda Available Soon!
10 months agoWe've been refining the recipe for months, waiting on cans to arrive, and getting all the ingredients in stock. And now the time is here to make our first at-scale batch of Grapefruit Bitters & Soda. We plan to start accepting customer orders by the end of the week.
Grapefruit is an extremely popular flavor when it comes to sparkling drinks. So it was definitely on our shortlist of flavors to launch next. Our Grapefruit Bitters & Soda is a refreshing, bitter aperitif perfect for warm evenings or sunny afternoons with friends and family. It’s lively and refreshing straight from the can, but can also be mixed with dry vermouth or a lightly sweet white wine for a scrumptious low alcohol spritz.
One of our goals for the year was to increase our line of Bitters & Soda from two flavors to four flavors. Grapefruit will be our third and we're on track to launch the fourth in October. Four flavors will not only give customers more opportunity to find a flavor or flavors they love but will also give us significantly more shelf presence helping the discoverability of all our flavors.
We'll be sending a can of Grapefruit in each of the first round of investor packages which we plan to start shipping early next week.
The Bitter Housewife Talking About Being a Founder and Entrepreneurship
10 months agoGenevieve had two great interviews recently where she talks about what it's like to be a female founder and start a business in your basement.
A little entrepreneurship fodder for your weekend:
Shades of Entrepreneurship Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/founder-chief-marketing-officer-bitter-housewife-genevieve/id1552577775?i=1000528848564
Authority Magazine: https://medium.com/authority-magazine/female-founders-genevieve-brazelton-on-why-we-need-more-women-founders-and-the-five-things-you-a05e54166e2b
Non-Alch and Zero Proof Here to Stay
10 months ago“As the industry (non-alcoholic beverages) continues to lap last year’s heightened pandemic-driven retail sales, non-alcoholic beverage sales remained ‘broadly elevated’.” (https://www.bevnet.com/news/2021/nielsen-non-alc-beverage-sales-remain-broadly-elevated)
The pandemic put a spotlight on overall health. With many of us slowing down, cooking at home, and paying more attention to how we felt, it became clear that what we put in our bodies affected our mental health as much as our physical health. 86% of Millennial and Gen Z populations value mental health to be as important as physical health (https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/06/22/Low-and-no-alcohol-How-holistic-health-is-propelling-the-trend#) and reducing or cutting out alcohol has a positive effect on both of these.
Not only are consumers making choices that support their physical and mental health, but they’re also choosing to buy from companies that support their overall values. We created our Bitters & Soda to give consumers another option that fit the occasion of “having a drink” but that didn’t contain alcohol or sugar. But we also created a company that believes in the honest approach to everything - ingredients, process, and marketing.
We believe The Bitter Housewife is what many consumers are looking for, both as a beverage choice and a company to support.
- Genevieve & Dan
Expansion in Seattle
11 months agoWe've landed two great new locations for Bitters & Soda in the Seattle Area.
PCC Community Markets, which has been carrying our cocktail bitters for a few years now, brought both flavors of Bitters & Soda into all locations. PCC is a highly curated, highly respected consumer-owned food cooperative that has been serving the Seattle area for close to 70 years and has 15 locations. It also happens to be the largest consumer-owned food cooperative in the United States.
Dahlia Bakery, a Tom Douglas restaurant, just reopened and offers both our Bitters & Soda and cocktail bitters. As restaurants across the city begin to reopen we hope to see many of our products featured on the menus of some of these iconic Seattle locations. Tom Douglas himself is quite a fan, hear for yourself on a recent episode of Hot Stove Society Radio Show - https://overcast.fm/+BJ0WHW3ZQ.
As cities across the country begin to reopen we expect to be adding many new stores and restaurants to our list of retailers.
Cheers,
Genevieve and Dan
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