With Schnapps playing a big role in Munding’s upbringing, he says: “I was raised in Scandinavia and Germany where drinking Schnapps was a big part of drinking culture. It was just woven into the fabric of our social lives. I have very fond memories of the Schnapps drinking songs we used to sing back in the early 70s. The unique flavour of Schnapps makes me think of some great times, as I am sure it does for many other people too.”
Munding began producing gin and vodka in Borensberg, south Sweden in the early 2000s. After seeing success in these markets, he decided to explore the world of Schnapps. Now living in the UK, Munding adds: “When flavoured spirits began getting popular here, the opportunity came up to launch a range of flavours with one of the UK’s largest pub chains. Excited at the opportunity of mixing traditional Swedish sweet dessert flavours with our vodka, Flävar was born.
“The Swedish market has always been innovative with schnapps and liqueur flavours, but we generally see much less of it with spirits in the UK,” Munding continues.
With a six-figure marketing sum invested for retail growth, as the category looks to reaffirm its presence in bars, an aggressive NPD strategy is in place as six new flavours are to come in the next 12 months.
“Schnapps is huge across Northern Europe and without doubt there’s room for a fresh approach in the UK. Flavoured spirits have seen a huge rise in popularity over the last few years. In the three months leading to January 2022, sales of flavoured vodka soared by 77%. People just want great tasting spirits. And we think it’s time to bring Schnapps back,” says Munding.
“We are in constant evaluation of different international markets and currently we are looking very closely at Benelux, the USA and Australia, where we see a large potential.”
THE ROLE OF SCHNAPPS
In the UK, Schnapps is more commonly known with well established brands such as Archers. Flävar hopes to be set aside from the rest with its flavour profiles, as Munding notes: “Our flavours are inspired by traditional Swedish sweets and desserts. What the Swedes don’t know about liquorice isn’t worth knowing and our strawberries are arguably the best in the world. Salted caramel is another indulgent classic and for our upcoming flavours we’ll be looking at our unique twist on blueberries, lemon dessert, gingerbread, Nordic berries and plenty of other surprises.”
Looking at consumption of Schnapps, they are an obvious choice for cocktails and shots. In the current consumer market, people are looking for ways to cut down on alcohol consumption and be more mindful about what they drink. Munding explains: “Our schnapps is 25% abv, less than the traditional 40% plus abv of other shots and spirits. We’re aware that people are drinking less but more mindfully and we’re absolutely on board with that, we think a shot should be savoured, not necked back with a wince because it’s a harsh taste.”
Flävar comes as a clear liquid, separating itself from the “Instagrammable event of coloured liquids” as the brand is “more about taste over a bright liquid.”
“We’re proud of our smooth vodka-base and everything in Flävar is there to make it taste great, nothing else. Flävar is a very versatile drink and can be enjoyed as a shot, with a mixer or in a cocktail. We’ve had encouraging success in the on-trade and we’re now looking to launch into the off-trade with our wider range,” Munding adds.
