Grace
Ubawuchi is
the trailblazing founder and CEO of the award-winning cocktail brand Xin and Voltaire. Grace shares her inspiring journey of creating a disruptive offering in the food and beverage industry, leveraging her youthful fearlessness and problem-solving mindset to over come the
challenges of being an underrepresented founder.
Grace shares her approach to securing investment,
demonstrating how persistence and creativity can open doors for entrepreneurs.
It is a must-listen for any aspiring entrepreneur.
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Transcript
Teresa:
Hello and welcome back to another episode of Your Dream Business podcast. This is the fourth. episode in the special Channel 4 Ventures series that I am doing. [00:01:00] And today I am interviewing Grace. Now, Grace is the founder and CEO of award winning cocktail brand Zinn Voltaire. And for years, Grace has been dedicated to pushing boundaries and redefining the cocktail drinking experience, harnessing innovation in food technology, science to create a disruptive offering in the world of F& B.
Now, the thing that struck me the most when interviewing Grace is She’s in her 20s and it made me feel very old being a 45 year old woman and having only started my business 10 years ago. But what was so fascinating about her and what was so inspiring about this conversation and something that I have seen all the way through with, you know, Tom, the conversation yesterday, Tom almost said something identical.
Sam says or something almost identical the day before was they identified a problem and they thought. Why isn’t someone fixing this? And this is exactly what Grace did. She saw a problem [00:02:00] that she wanted to elevate the kind of cocktail experience and where you could access cocktails and what they were about.
And she couldn’t understand why anybody wasn’t doing this already. So she decided that she would fix it. And what was just amazing was imagine Now, I have stepchildren who are 21 and 27, I think she is now, and my daughter is 15. And if you are a parent, you will know that, like, they get to that age and they think, like my daughter thinks I’m an absolute stupid idiot and she knows everything.
She’s way smarter than me. And also they take different risks or they’re not bothered as, as other things. It’s like. I think as you get older, what I’m trying to say is as you get older, I think you get really conscious of like, okay, what if this goes wrong? What will happen? And I think what was one of Grace’s best advantages is that she was young.
So she thought nothing of just thinking, right, I’ll [00:03:00] fix this. I’ll make this. I’ll do this. She talked about, the stories of how she guessed people’s email addresses and just reached out to them. And when you find out some of the companies that she was having conversations with, and some of the people that she was in front of, it’s wild to think that she just thought, screw it, I’ll just send them an email.
And I think sometimes as business owners and as humans, we don’t want to take that risk because the thought of being told no, the thought of being turned down, the thought of being ignored. And I think her age helped her have that. And I think also there is, one thing I talked about her and, and And Tom, I felt the same, was like, their brain must work in a certain way that makes them just go, let’s fix this.
I think there are lots of people who wouldn’t think that, that wouldn’t look at a problem and think, how can I fix this? There’s a lot of people that would just moan about the problem. And both of them really inspired me from, they just went, how am I going to fix this? And I wonder whether there’s like a certain trait or something in [00:04:00] those, people that they have, their brain works in a certain way.
Anyway, I digress slightly. So we talk about the random emails that she sent and how she got in front of some huge people. She also talked about the fact of how she basically pitched the product when there was no actual product. She hadn’t even done a prototype to a massive company and how she got through the door, which was fascinating.
And then we talk about the fact of, did she know she needed to start. Did she know she needed investment from day one and that and what like? I think it’s really interesting the businesses that kind of go day one, I need investment and the ones that don’t even think about investment being an option where she knew she had this amazing idea and she had this brilliant company thought, but she needed money to get started.
So she knew from day one, she needed to have investment and how she went about finding that being in a world where. She didn’t know that existed. So it’s a really fascinating conversation. I found her super inspiring. I think you’ll [00:05:00] love her. I did. I thought she was awesome. So without further ado, here is the lovely Grace.
Grace, welcome to the podcast. How you doing?
Grace:
I’m good. I’m good. Thank you for having me. I’m very excited about this.
Teresa:
My pleasure. So am I. So Grace, let’s start off just for my listeners. Tell us who you are and what you do, and how you kind of got to do what you do today.
Grace:
Amazing. I’ve always found that to be the hardest question. I feel like now it’s such a philosophical thing, but briefly, so I’m Gracie Ubawuchi, obviously I am the founder of Stina Walter’s Pair. We are an avant garde alcohol brand, and we make what we’ve referred to as high proof sorbet cocktails, which are essentially high proof frozen cocktails. I was lucky enough to work with a very inspiring woman called Nina Mettier.
For about two years to develop our products. And I think we have a really incredible range of flavors that we’re proud to put out into the world with some more coming, of course. So how did I get here? Uh, putting one foot in front of [00:06:00] the other. I was a uni student. When I, when I started and now fast forward, like seven, eight years, it’s well into well, not well into my twenties, but almost 30.
Yeah. For me, it was just by inquisitive nature. I loved cocktails and like you do. And I wanted more, I wanted more outside of the bar. I wanted to be able to have it in all the different occasions that you do and you find yourselves in. And so for me, it was. Well, who’s doing it? And I found nobody doing it.
And so one person who was at Diageo at the time said, why are you asking us to do it? Why don’t you just go do it yourself? And so I thought, actually, yeah, why, why don’t I just go do it myself? And, and yeah, now here I am doing it myself, but luckily with an incredible team of people who are, who are kind of the foundations of the business.
Teresa:
So, I love the way you talk about, you know, yeah, I’m just doing it myself. Like, I definitely think there is something in someone’s [00:07:00] brain that either has that or they don’t. Like, lots of people don’t think like that. Lots of people don’t go, Oh yeah, no, why isn’t this thing like this? Or let me change that.
Let me create something. And also to be in a business that is like, this doesn’t seem an easy thing to get into. When you first thought, okay, do it myself, had you already got people in place that you could talk to or what were you doing at uni just out of interest?
Grace:
So I was studying business and international relations. So I was on my second year and to, do you want me to dive into the question? Because I think, yes, to be honest with you, yeah. Basically, for me, it was quite, I’ve always been a problem solver, so I called myself at the time, which seems so silly, but I called myself a solutions provider, which was whenever I see an issue, it would frustrate me to just bang on about it, right?
I just [00:08:00] loved, so what’s the solution here? Oh, you know, this is going wrong. So how do we fix it? And so I’ve always been that person. And so for me, I hated when I didn’t have an answer to everything. And so if I didn’t have one, I just went out and found it myself. Cause I just, I think, I think that’s the naivety that you find in young people.
We, we kind of just feel like the world is our oyster and we can just do everything. And And so I think that was the thing because I wasn’t so concerned or I didn’t even really know what the potential issues were. It was just like, Oh, well, I’ll just, I’ll figure that out on my, on my journey. And so, yeah, that was pretty much how I, how I did it now, how I physically did it.
I didn’t know anybody. I was coming at it as a consumer. And so, you know, I had a love for cocktails and it was like, well, who do I need to know? to be able to answer this question for me, who’s doing it? So who owns all the cocktails and all the alcohol brands out there? And so once I kind of started going down that Google wormhole, [00:09:00] I couldn’t fight myself out of it.
And so, and this is something I don’t actually shout about. I used to guess people’s emails. I was actually very, very good at it. And so I would construct an email and say, okay, you’re the person I need to know. Okay, cool. Use LinkedIn, find out who they are. And just write them an email and be like, Hey, you know, you’re who I need to speak to.
Do you have a moment? And crazy enough, they did. And they, they actually made time for me, which was, I think about it now. I’m like, these are some of the busiest people in the world at Diageo, at Beam Suntory, you know, and they made time for me and I’ll never forget that.
Teresa:
And that is huge for so many reasons. One, there are so many of us in business that would it. One of the biggest things that I deal with, with my, in my world and in the coaching I do is the fear element, that fear that holds us back, that stops us from doing those things, that puts us off [00:10:00] sending that email because, oh, we can’t find the email address or they probably won’t read it.
Oh, then definitely not going to reply. And I love that. The thing that you came in and said is that you just did like an almost an and I hear what you’re saying in terms of an age thing. I’m 45. I have my daughter’s 14 and my my stepchildren like in their 20s. So I get the like where they come from of Oh, no, I just this should just come to me, right?
Like I just expect But in this instant, that is such a superpower because you just went, well, why couldn’t I, why shouldn’t I, you know, why couldn’t that, why wouldn’t that person respond to me? Was there any part of you that was like, no, I’m super scared to do that? Or what if it didn’t respond?
Grace:
I think that, okay, I’ll tell you a little bit more about me in the way that I think when I had my surgery, when I was younger, I wasn’t afraid until I got into the operating tables that, oh my God.
They’re going to cut into my hand and like [00:11:00] things like that. I have a very delayed reaction. I only have a look at the opportunity and then when it’s time to actually do it, I’m like, Oh crap. Now I actually have to talk to this person because they, you know, they’ve given me the opportunity. And I think that’s the thing.
It’s like. Be careful what you wish for. I don’t mean it to sound so ominous, but because you might get it, if you do, can you, can you handle it? And so for me, it was like, oh, right now I, you know, the last thing would be that they don’t respond, right? So I don’t actually have what I went out to go and get, but I’m the exact same as when I sent the email, right?
The best thing that could happen is that they listen and they respond. And so my motto at the time was, if you don’t try, you don’t get. So you might as well try because you might. potentially get what you’re asking for. And, and I think that was the thing. So I didn’t have the nerves when I was doing it.
It was only when that call, and this was before Zoom. So thankfully they couldn’t see me. They didn’t know who I was, you know, it was [00:12:00] just a phone call. And I think the earliest call I had was like five in the morning when I, there was an investor. in Australia who was open to having a conversation with me and I was like, Oh my God, now I have to have this call and it is a stupid time and I, so I would write a script that I was going to say and I was so nervous and I would read that script and they were so kind to listen to me from the beginning to the end and I realize now that actually that was kind of my training from the very beginning, you know, to be able to, to be able to have those conversations and be, to be open and confident in them.
Because I was like 21 during these conversations,
Teresa:
which, you know, like that blows my mind from a Well, at 21, my brain was not working that way, but like, you know, that you were able to get in front of these people and hold these conversations. And would you say they took you seriously? I don’t want to assume and go, they took you [00:13:00] seriously.
Grace:
Yes. If anything, I would say my entire career was built on this particular way of working. So I got my investor from a cold email. You know, I got business. from cold emails. And so actually they did take me seriously. If anything, I’m talking the president of like these huge organizations who would get their whole innovation team, like there’ll be four or five people on the call.
So they definitely did. And now that I think about it, I’m like, that was such an opportunity. Yeah. I wish I had, you know, I do, I guess I do have these opportunities now. It’s not so daunting, but you know, when you’re 21, you really don’t know who you’re speaking to. And you, you don’t have a clue how serious it is.
Teresa:
A good thing in some ways, because you’d never have done it if you had. You’d have been like, no way, too big.
Grace:
But I knew, I knew what was working against me. And I think that’s what I always knew, which was I lived in [00:14:00] Manchester. No one’s going to find me here. You know, I don’t have any presence. I don’t have any experience.
And I, I needed to put myself in positions of opportunity. And the only way to do that was for me was to create my own opportunities. So it was kind of breaking those walls down. I, I think it was until like two years later, I realized these people had PAs. I didn’t even realize they had blockers because I was directly sending these emails to them.
So, yeah, I’m glad they took me seriously because I think it instilled this hope for a future that had, had they not done that, I think I would have probably quit. Because you realize that actually in life, you know, unless people help you on the journey, you, you kind of, Don’t believe that there is something to, to like look forward to because that hard work is kind of going nowhere.
No one’s receiving it. No one’s kind of really taking it in a way where they, they take you seriously. So I’m kind of glad that they did. I think [00:15:00] so. There was someone who asked me at one point, how do you know our president? And I was like, how am I going to tell them? I have no idea who he is. Can I guess to be wrong?
And then it’s okay for me to say now, because you know, many, many years down the line, But back in the day I was like, I don’t want to tell anyone because they’re going to think I’m a crazy person.
Teresa:
Yeah, like, how did she even get here? Like, you know, we’ve just let her into the world. She’s in like part of our world and no one actually knows how she got here. That’s brilliant. So let me just talk about the, the business and the investment side. So did you pretty much know straight off the bat you would want to grow this business to a point where you needed investment?
Grace:
Yes, and it was from the very beginning because there’s, like I was saying about the email thing, one of, when I got the idea that this was something I wanted to do, I was like, well, who would buy it?
And I was on a flight actually with British Airways and I saw that they had all these spirits and all these wines. But they [00:16:00] had no cocktails and as a uni student, our definition of cocktails at the time was really Jack Daniels and Coke, right? That’s just a mixer, but that was our cocktail. That was us getting a mixer and mixing it and that’s how we were doing it.
And so, you know, I felt like that’s all they had, but they have all this sophistication and all this budget. Why are they not doing anything? So what? I sent, I reached out to Kelly Stevenson at the time and she, she received me with open arms. She was like, this is what we need. Cause I, I basically saw it as a portfolio.
I was like, you have this, but you don’t have that. And I’m sure you’re having the conversation about how you get from A to B and how you get this cocktail solution. I have your, I have your solution here. Like this is, this is an incredible product. It’s a frozen product and you just need to add alcohol to it.
That was my first iteration at the time. Flavored ice. Yeah. And so you have your cock, you have your spirits, I have the flavor, let’s work together and make cocktails. And so she was like, yes, come in, you know, and I went right to the top. It was British [00:17:00] Airways letting me into a meeting kind of almost two months after I decided I was going to do it.
And she’s telling me numbers of like, we have 90, 000 footfall and, you know, we, oh my God, I only have 90.
Teresa:
And to this point, there wasn’t the product.
Grace:
There wasn’t even a product. So I had to then find, you know, my parents were nice enough to kind of gimme the money to, to go create this, this, this prototype.
And then within a month I had a prototype to go to the, to go to the meeting. So it, it was literally like, okay. She said, yes, now I need to actually go make the product. Yeah. And so I got into the meeting and it was like, this is something. And this, this could be really something special here, but I don’t have any infrastructure.
And so, you know, that’s when I realized I need to go find it. I need to go build it. And to build it, I need money. And that’s the one thing that I don’t have.
Teresa:
So how did you then, like, had you ever heard about [00:18:00] investment? Like, had you, had it ever even crossed your path at this point? Because bearing in mind, They talk about, I did a business and then into marketing degree at uni and like, well, that was quite some time ago and I can’t remember how stuff they taught me, but I, I’m not sure that how much of this they would have covered.
Grace:
If anything, you know, mind you, I’m doing my studies in parallel with doing all this. And so no, they didn’t tell you about any of this. If, if anything, it was again, I’m a, I was a Google warrior. So I was learning and it’s like, funding, money for business. And that was kind of how I found out about VC and angels and this whole world that existed that I had no idea about.
And I think that it’s this idea of, and I say this a lot, but it’s that it’s the poverty of knowledge or the inequality of knowledge, where you exist in, you know, Ecosystems. And unless you know [00:19:00] you don’t know. Nope. And if you don’t know, you probably will never encounter this ecosystem because it’s not in the path that your life is going in.
And so the moment my world kind of collided with venture capital, private equity, you know, angels, this angel network that exists out there, it’s like, oh my God. You’re who I need this group. So your job is just investing in businesses and ideas or what I’ve got an idea. And so, you know, again, it’s that naivete that you have where you think like, actually, you know, if this is what they do, why not me?
I mean, me, yeah, absolutely. I’ve got this incredible idea. Come on, let’s go. And, and I think at the time as well, it’s this idea that people love new ideas, right? And I realized very quickly that they love new ideas in certain worlds, but not necessarily in every world. And I think that was the beginning of my realization of that.
Maybe it’s not for everybody. It’s for a group of people. How do I [00:20:00] penetrate?
Teresa:
Well, that was then coming on to my, my next point in terms of, you know, obviously we’re here because of Channel 4 Untapped and, and this new, you know, strategy that they’re bringing out with So obviously we saw the stats that they shared, which were shocking, not shocking.
Like they were so shocking that they were as bad. Like I knew they were going to be bad, but they were bad. Like, so from your experience, how was it for you? You know, and you kind of had like a number of things that were You know, going against you, as it were, you know, that, yeah, like, you know, you were super, super young, you were female, you’re black, you know, you’re not a white, straight man.
Like, you know, so that in itself is a big no. So what, how did you find this conversation? How did you find, and how did you then eventually find someone to invest in you?
Grace:
Do you know what, when I [00:21:00] was hearing what, so I got the, the deck initially, and you know, when you see it on paper, it’s like someone telling you your life in, in statistics, right?
And I resonated with it because I’ve lived it for the last few years now. But when I was at the event and, you know, cause obviously I was on the panel, but when I was sat there and I was listening to. I was listening to Dan go through it, it made me so upset. In all honesty, I kind of got a bit teary eyed because I was like, this is really a problem.
And so many of us, you know, we, we have these dreams, we have these visions, and we just, we don’t know which step to take. And I think it was frustrating to know that, There are so many more people out there who get affected by this and it’s not just this straight road and mind you, entrepreneurship is not a straight road.
It’s actually very difficult. But then you have this, you know, a roadblock and it’s a really high one. And, and so, [00:22:00] to understand it, you know, living it. It’s like you, you go to an investor and they’ll say warm introductions only. But actually this is so much deeper than that. Because if again, like if you don’t exist in that ecosystem,
Teresa:
then how do you even get that?
Grace:
How do you get that? It’s the same with my mom. So my mom was looking for a job when she finished nursing school many years ago. And it’s like, some people are saying you need experience, but if you don’t, Give me the experience. How do I get the experience? And I think it’s that cyclical kind of thing that you experience where it’s like, actually, there’s no way to get in at all unless you have, and I believe that there are middlemen who allow you or give you the opportunity to penetrate.
So for me, how I eventually found kind of funding. was, you know, again, through that cold email and someone listening to my crazy talk about this incredible vision that I had that would change cocktail culture and add to the alcohol world. And it seemed like ramblings at the time. And sometimes when I [00:23:00] look back at my business plans and my decks, I’m like, I was, I was making a lot back then, but my experience today has kind of built in the gaps and kind of waited a lot more in confidence.
But, you know, it was, it was. It was through someone outside of the UK, you know, someone who wasn’t even in the UK who heard my vision and bought into it because he himself had a passion for it. And that I think, and it was private equity investment that I got in the end, but you know, private equity doesn’t even invest in, in businesses like mine and in startups and ideas.
So, and I think the frustration for me now kind of looking back is that, you know, there are a lot of traps. That I fell into consequently, and after making that decision to go into get funding outside of the UK, because there are reasons why we function in the UK the way that we do. And it’s not just to protect businesses, it’s to protect founders, it’s to, there’s so much.
And I, [00:24:00] and I think that because, you know, I was able to find the funding, which was a benefit. There are things that affect you following that decision. And so the more we have businesses and venture capital seeking out, actively seeking out businesses ran by women, run by minorities, it helps so much more in, in giving the right kind of opportunities, because I believe there is a right opportunity and a wrong one.
I think it’s, it’s more of a responsible way for businesses to really. allow their portfolios to be reflective of the actual population rather than just this group of people who exist in the world who’ve had opportunities from the very beginning on there of their life.
Teresa:
Yeah. And you know, Bravo, you’re right. Everything you just said. So what I’m thinking is, part of me wants to say, what would you go back and say to your younger self? But I guess now what would you say to [00:25:00] someone who is in the position you were in? You found Some investment in a, and I’m going to say like a fluke type way, because you know, that is not a go to strategy that people use.
So would you do that again? Would you recommend someone else does that? What would you say to someone who was in your position or, you know, like you said, they’re not being represented for whatever reasons, how would you say to them and how would you have said to your young self, this is how you should go and do it?
Grace:
Yeah, like you said, I’m the exception, not the rule, right? It was pretty much by chance. Yeah. So what would I say to people today? Would I do anything differently? I wouldn’t because everything happens for a reason. I don’t live in regret. I would say that today is a better environment for us. And I’ll put myself in there because as I still have a business, I’m still fundraising.
It’s a better environment for us. [00:26:00] to be able to, to find these opportunities. So connect with these ecosystems, find them out because they exist. They’re there. Yeah. Google is your best friend, but LinkedIn is an even better platform for you. And actually even today, Teos, who, who’s I think at DMG Ventures has posted something to help people find out.
more about who’s investing. Channel 4 have, have released Untappd, which is something that helps. There, there’s, there’s, there’s an intentionality today that there wasn’t when I was fundraising. So my advice is no, break that information barrier. find it out. It’s your responsibility. It’s also other people’s responsibility, but it’s also yours to seek out the opportunities because they are there.
And hopefully, you know, we can break down this, this inequality of opportunity that exists for, for women, for [00:27:00] minorities, for so many underrepresented founders who don’t have access to it.
Teresa:
I love that. And there’s so much I could take from, from this conversation, but one of the things that I’m going to take is, is what you’ve just said in the sense of, we’ve got to take some responsibility in making it happen for us.
Yes, it’s, not fair. Yes, it’s unequal. Yes. You know, there’s lots stacked against, you know, women in business, people of color in business, like there is lots stacked against you. However, we can’t just sit there and go, well, I’ll just wait until they get better. And I’ll wait until society fixes itself. And that’s not going to happen fast enough.
So we’ve got to step up and go, no, I’m going to take it. And I’m going to work hard to get it. And also, like you said, the knowledge thing is massive. You know, one of my questions to, to Tom earlier was saying, you know, how do we get someone who is just [00:28:00] starting in business? And I’ve never thought that this is even possible for them to even understand that it’s possible.
And it’s that whole, you know, they’ve got to go and educate themselves about it. Like they’ve got to, like you did, you know, we can hope that we can, things can be put in place to educate people. However, if you think this can be an impossibility, then they need to get. on the internet. And we live in an amazing world where we can find out anything.
Grace:
Absolutely. Absolutely. There’s this saying that kind of I love and it says, be bold and brave forces will come to your aid. So at the end of the day, you just have to put yourself out there because also, you know, we, again, we can’t, we live in a world where you have to know your stuff. So you get into that room, there’s zero excuse for you not to know.
So long as you have, you know, the tools that are available to us, there is no way you cannot succeed. I genuinely believe that to my core, [00:29:00] you know, so, yeah, I’m excited to see, particularly for Untappd, I’m excited to see what comes out of this and the incredible founders that will kind of rise up from this because with, you know, when you have the intentionality, when you have the hope and the dream, when they, the two come together, I believe that amazing things happen.
So I’m looking forward to it.
Teresa:
Me too. I love it. Grace, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Where do you hang out most? Where can people come and say hi? .
Grace:
Oh, I, well, you won’t find me in the streets, but you will, you will find me on LinkedIn for sure. And my email address, but LinkedIn is definitely the place you’ll find me.
But if you ever come to East London, I might be at Pan Pacific.
Teresa:
Wow. I’ll come and find you. I love it. Thank you so much, Grace. I really, really appreciate you giving me your time. Thank you so much.
