“I spent the last 22 years working around the globe and blessed to discover so many places, people and products, and I can truly say that we are all a MESH of one benevolent spirit. All of us made of flesh and BONE. I started this company to spread this message.” – Scott (Founder)
I’ve always been amazed to see how simple products can serve as gateways to understanding different cultures.
I saw this especially with food and drink, and my strongest connections with locals usually happened over a bottle of their native spirit.
It was surprising how many of these spirits were unknown to the outside world…even though they were incredible! I wanted to share these treasures, and more importantly, the amazing people and places behind them.
“ It never mattered if I spoke the language or not, I could always laugh with others over a drink. All the differences fade away and all you’re left with is what really matters..”
“I wanted to create a brand that everyone could join and share with each other… Global products like vodka, whisky, rum, tequila. procescco—but find something different, better..new…exciting..
Most of what I saw on shelf was all the same….seemed like a tired and stagnant industry.
I remembered my days in venture capital in the Valley listening to passionate entrepreneurs wanting to shake up big industry.
I knew it right there….what if I could disrupt the big old alcohol world…is that epic or what?! “
I spent the next few years traveling the globe trying to find the best hidden treasures. I didn’t have any industry contacts, so I just cold-called and literally walked up to the distiller front doors across the globe. No clue. Just a smile and a passport.
Closing a deal with a 200 year old Japanese Shochu maker was the most challenging. I was asking them to let me brand their ancient
formula. It took me 3 years of dinners and friendship before they finally announced they would work with me.
I was working for a traditional Japanese company at the time and I told my boss in broken Japanese that I wanted to start a new alcohol company. I was apprehensive because you never leave your company in Japan
He said, “ Scotto-san, you always have home here, but you must live your dream. Be brave “
“One question. What is name of company.?”
I said “I don’t know”
He said. “what do you make?
I was quiet…then my mouth opened and nervously joked
“ I make epic shit happen ”
He frowned, then slowly smiled and laughed
. “ha ha…I like it…good name. very brave”
“My vision became clear. I wanted to combine the elegance of Chanel, the strength of Iron Maiden with the mystery of the White Album No story. No detail. No nothing. I wanted the consumer to discover.. let them imagine…let them create.. just like I did. I called my marketing friends and showed them.
I excitedly asked
’”What do you think!?”
They immediately replied.
“Worst idea ever”
I knew right then it was a winner
Bill, my former boss, ran big global brands like Pepsi and Stoli Vodka.
He taught me all the fundamental of creating successful brands; from testing, audience segmentation, and measuring. I remember calling him
and asking him about my new company.
Bill said…”Do everything I taught you and comb your hair.”
I remember writing over my life savings to order the first product. We had tested the crap out the product and I knew it would win. I wrote out the check without a drip of sweat on my brow, but I had to change my shorts.
“Our big break came at the Windy City Wine Festival in Chicago. Out of 200 vendors,
we had the longest line to sample our product and people got angry when we were forced to
close our booth down. They had to call security to get people to leave.
The next day I got a call from the head buyer at Whole Foods. They wanted us immediately. Two days later Kroger called. Then Target
I remember taking this photo never to forget what we had created.
When we first entered the market.. everyone said first build the brand in
bars & restaurants and then get a sampling agency to taste in retail. I
thought that was ironic since 80% of volume comes from retail.
We did the reverse of the industry and focused on retail…. we didn’t outsource our tastings and we out sold our peers 5 to 1 at a fraction of the expense.
“ Our distributor sat us down and told us we’d be lucky to sell 500 cases in our 1st year. We sold 5,000”
“ I got a call from Jon and he sounded panicked. “Scott the store
manager is freaking out! We sold out of their stock in 1 hour!”
I asked him how many bottles? Jon said, “70”
I asked how much do other brands usually sell there? Jon said “2”
“No one believed that a brand could sell both cider and spirits. They told us that just doesn’t happen.
Our vision was never to be a spirits brand, nor an alcohol brand. We sell hidden treasures and our fans responded with enthusiasm.
The true test of a company is when
hard times come—and they always
do. My days in venture capital
taught me that most ventures fail,
but it’s never really because of the
product..it’s usually the people…
This company has tried me
financially, emotionally and
physically. My team has stood next
to me through thick and thin.
I’ve known most of the team for
over 10 years and we all respect
and love each other.
We are resilient and tough.
If I can leave you with one takeaway
this is it..
“ The industry now looks a lot like
the music industry in 1991. Hair
metal bands were a undifferentiated
sea of bad hair and bad make-up.
Every city now seems to have it’s own
craft whisky, gin or vodka.
Actors are now becoming distillers.
We envision our next phase to be
like when Nirvana hit the scene during
the hair metal days. They were
disruptive, but still accessible.
We will leverage our unique
content with a powerful ecosystem mindset
to become like what Nirvana was..
…a game changer
“My little cousin had just turned 21 and I
offered him to work intern for the summer.
My mom called me and I could tell she
was nervous, “Scott, your cousin is quite
young and sheltered, please make sure
he is safe and doesn’t get into trouble.
Chicago is a big city”
My friend called me and said he found Chris, my cousin, a place to live and Chris
moved in. After a couple days, Chris
developed a persistent cough and sore
throat.
I went to visit him and was curious to
check out his apartment and I remember walking in thinking …oh no…my cousin is living in a crack house. The carpet was
stained with cigarette butts and the
stench of stale smoke was thick.
I said, grab your stuff…you’re coming to
live with me….and said one thing..
“please don’t tell the family about this…
I met Elvin at a tasting in the Bronx.
It was my first tasting there and I didn’t know to expect.
A young man approached me and with a
Yankees cap and hoodie. He looked
serious and so I started on my pitch.
He let me say all my corny jokes and stories
He then said, “are you done?”
I said , “I think so”
He then gave me the biggest smile and said,”
“How the hell you make your way to the
Bronx?
I liked him immediately and he joined our
team.
I spend more time in the Bronx now than
in Manhattan..and I’m happy about it.
I met Kevin in Tokyo. He was dating my
roommate Haruka, and he was always
lurking around the house.
I had just returned from a sake distillery
tour and had this brilliant idea about starting an company—something with booze..
I had to tell someone.
I opened the front door and
there is Kevin reading a newspaper.
I told Kevin all about my idea and said,
“ What do you think? “
Kevin, in his French accent, said.
“C’est pas posible”
Or it won’t work.
1 year later Kevin is living in the US working as a partner with Mesh & Bone.
Still lurking…still French..
“Once we had the name, we wanted to
create a logo that really spoke to our
mission. We had a lot of ideas, but
sone of them felt right…
We fell into the marketing trap. We were
trying to create something cool for our
customers—something we thought they
would like.
My business partner Eduardo came to
visit me in Tokyo and I asked him about
the logo and bottle concept….
He said …”Stop using your brain. Let’s
take a walk”
We walked for 2 hours around the
Emperor’s Palace without saying much..
just enjoying the walk..
Out of the blue he said…
”Don’t say anything
“let the consumer tell the story”
I knew this was the right answer.
I was living in Mexico at the time, and
called my younger teammates to secure
our new office / my sleep space in Chicago.
I had two conditions. I needed a quiet room to sleep and I wanted close proximity to
the L (Chicago metro)
Seth called me eager to tell me about the
new place and I asked him,
“is it close to the L?”
He said…”Super close!”
I didn’t know he meant attached to the
actual metro line.
Here is the view of my window –
from the tracks. You could literally step
into my apartment.
For those of you from Chicago,
Mesh & Bone headquarters was right above Stan’s Donuts— the busiest intersection
in town.
Shochu Japan
Distilled from barley Lighter than vodka, Smooth clear spirit
Sotol Mexico
Cousin to Agave Smoother than Tequila, Sip on rocks
Arakku Sri Lanka
Distilled from barley Lighter than vodka, Smooth clear spirit
Pamplemousse
France
Distilled from barley Lighter than vodka, Smooth clear spirit
Pomme & Poire
France
Distilled from barley Lighter than vodka, Smooth clear spirit
