When Steven and Brittany Yeng got here up with the concept of Skrewball, most of the individuals they talked with scoffed on the thought of a peanut butter whiskey. Quick ahead to right now and Skrewball has turn into of the quickest rising liquor manufacturers in historical past. I sat down with the husband-and-wife co-founders to speak about their distinctive journey, what motivated them to launch the model, and why they have a good time screwballs and misfits.
Dave Knox: What’s the story behind Skrewball?
Steven Yeng: Skrewball is the world’s first peanut butter whiskey. Most individuals marvel, why peanut butter and whiskey? When individuals hear of it, their first response is both “you’re messing with my whiskey” or “you’re messing with my peanut butter.” Our story really began in Cambodia the place I used to be born. My dad and mom survived the genocide in that nation and misplaced many of their household together with my grandparents and my aunt and uncle. Once I was round 1 12 months previous, I caught polio, which affected my proper leg and actually paralyzed me in a single day. My dad and mom determined to depart all the things and sneak into Thailand. After 6 years in less-than-ideal circumstances, our prayers had been answered when a pair in San Diego sponsored us into America. Once they first noticed us, we had been pores and skin and bones in order that they gave us a basket of meals that was bread, peanut butter and fruits. And there was my old flame of peanut butter.
Brittany and I met after we had been in elementary faculty after which I opened up my first bar after I was round 22. She was going to high school for her grasp’s in chemistry and went on to additionally turn into a lawyer. In the meantime over at my restaurant, I might begin placing peanut butter in all the things as a result of I fell in love with it. I added it to fried rice, wings, spring rolls, and even Sake. Finally I attempted peanut butter whiskey within the bar and Skrewball was born.
Knox: As a bar and a restaurant proprietor, you noticed new manufacturers pitching you each single day. What gave you the boldness that peanut butter whiskey might be the subsequent huge factor should you launched it?
Brittany Yeng: That was the toughest a part of convincing Steve to see the potential of this concept. Each day he noticed so many good manufacturers with thousands and thousands of {dollars} behind them. How would we break by? However what we noticed was that this mixture actually broke by obstacles. Younger and previous, female and male, all various kinds of individuals simply cherished the product. Folks that hate whiskey would come and say, oh my gosh, I adore it. And so we noticed this chance. I feel perhaps somewhat bit, my being naive within the business was sufficient to push us by. And I do know the second he began to turn into extra enthusiastic about it, was after I really gave it a reputation, gave it a character, and had this identification to maneuver ahead, moderately than it simply being some nebulous thought. And it was a kind of issues the place it was simply, now or by no means.
Steven Yeng: Each single day at our eating places I used to be pitched new manufacturers. It’s simply the hardest business. However one of many important driving forces for us launching Skrewball was that my spouse and I had been eager to have a baby endlessly. And eventually, we got that blessing simply as we began engaged on this concept. On the time, I used to be getting dwelling round 5:00 am after closing the bars and he or she would get up round 5:00 am to go to work with quite a lot of East Coast companions. We had been simply seeing one another in passing. And I feel that we selected household and that helped us begin a model the place we had been working collectively.
Knox: Whilst you had expertise with the on-premise aspect of the liquor business, neither of you had background launching a liquor model. The place did you begin?
Brittany Yeng: It was actually simply quite a lot of trial and error. You’ll get no’s, and no person’s going to need to allow you to. You’re going into this and no person is telling you all of the pitfalls in entrance of you, however I feel that’s a blessing. If you recognize all the things that you’re going to need to do, I feel it might be tougher to start out it. I all the time inform those that fascinated with it’s the arduous half. The doing it’s the place you begin. You get in and also you begin doing. And loads of individuals received’t imagine and that’s okay. We talked to a consulting agency early on and so they stated that we had been a fantastic couple and that we appeared very nice and we should always save our cash as a result of we simply have a bottle of a dream and that’s not going to get us very far. We sought out all the standard assets and we type of received the door shut on us. And so, we put quite a lot of it in our personal arms, actually doing it ourselves, and never counting on any person else to place these issues collectively for us.
Steven Yeng: It took us fairly some time to get our product. And in reality, we regarded in all places for a R&D crew to convey this concept to life. Nobody may assist us. So we began with Brittany’s background in chemistry and her engaged on this whereas on maternity depart. We made so many errors nevertheless it received us to the place we’re right now. We went bar to bar and it simply grew from there.
Knox: What was that second once you realized this factor was actually taking off, and it wasn’t only a bottle and a dream, however one thing extra?
Brittany Yeng: The second was really a humorous one. Anyone had written a detrimental article about us nevertheless it led to any person on the At the moment Present discovering out about Skrewball. So there’s no such factor as unhealthy press, proper? So the At the moment Present referred to as and stated they wished to place us on the present. That was only a very surreal second for us.
Steven Yeng: On the time, we thought it was a prank name. However after we realized it was actual, it was in our arms to do one thing about it. The decision got here round 5 PM and so they wished to place us on the subsequent day however we lived in San Diego. So, I jumped on a redeye flight simply attempting to get product into their arms earlier than filming would begin the subsequent day. Sadly, there was breaking information that morning and our section was pushed however they noticed all the good lengths we went by to be there. So afterwards, they tried the product, cherished it and ended up placing us on one other episode. That was our “ah-ha” second. We had so many calls and emails from those that wished the product and liquor shops began going by pallets of it every week. That’s after we actually knew this factor had legs.
Knox: One in every of your inspirations for launching Skrewball was your new household. How did you steadiness elevating your new household and launching the model?
Brittany Yeng: Nicely, we haven’t most likely been balanced individuals. We’re workaholics to start with. I joke that our pediatrician, after we introduced our daughter for the primary go to, she was like, “You guys look refreshed.” And I advised her it was the best factor ever and a luxurious that I used to be getting 4 hours of sleep and a nap in the midst of the day. And factor is that with Steve’s job on the restaurant and my job as a lawyer, there wasn’t the pliability in having the ability to incorporate our kids into the day-to-day. However with Skrewball, I can have my daughter and take a name. She was on the highway with us as we traveled, and he or she’s been to 40 totally different states as we pitched the model. It isn’t good and its not all the time balanced however for us, it gave us that form of flexibility that we by no means had.
Knox: On the model aspect, Skrewball, it’s made for misfits, screwballs, and black sheep. Why did you gravitate in direction of that picture?
Brittany Yeng: It actually began with the restaurant the place your complete factor was born. With alcohol and all these manufacturers that Steve was pitched, it comes right down to needing a narrative. In order that was the place we began and needing to be greater than only a peanut butter whiskey.
Steven Yeng: Everyone has an internal screwball in them. This model is for everybody – younger, previous, male, feminine, so long as they’re of consuming age in fact. Individuals love peanut butter. Reese’s is among the best-selling sweet because the forties. And on common, American youngsters will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches earlier than they’re 18. And for me, it has somewhat deeper that means within the Skrewball label the place our emblem is the black sheep with a chocolate peanut butter swirl. Behind it, we see a white sheep standing entrance and middle. For me, the genocide my household skilled wished to wipe out a complete society of screwballs. Anybody that stood up for what they believed in and was keen to talk up was murdered. There’s that deeper that means and for us, it is very important be a screwball and we have to categorical our voice and categorical our opinion.
Knox: On that deeper that means behind the model, Skrewball places quite a lot of vitality in giving again and doing good. Why is that such a spotlight for the model?
Steven Yeng: Brittany and I got here from a really humble starting. Once I received to the US, we lived in a automotive after which in a storage after that. And we even lived in our donut store at one level. And for Brittany, her dad was within the Navy. And so, each of us got here from humble beginnings. On the eating places and now with Skrewball, we concentrate on random acts of kindness and giving again. It’s a part of our model. We promote enjoyable however we promote enjoyable with duty. With the liquor business, there are quite a lot of fits and ties, a really buttoned-up business. I feel that we should always have enjoyable and being lighthearted. And being a part of Skrewball is you might have to have the ability to chortle at your self additionally. So in our charity campaigns, we do issues like Skrew Starvation. Or for males’s well being, it’s Skrew Ball Most cancers.
Brittany Yeng: We all know after we had the eating places, the neighborhood was what constructed us. We had been a spot for the neighborhood. And so, after we constructed Skrewball, on the coronary heart of it, we wished to do this at a a lot bigger scale. When COVID began, we knew the service business could be in hassle so we made a big donation there. And within the early days, we additionally shifted our manufacturing to start out making hand sanitizer and giving it out to police and hearth departments, in addition to native hospitals. It simply made sense that when that neighborhood was damage, we’d come and do what we may. It wasn’t going to avoid wasting something, nevertheless it was to indicate that solidarity. We prefer to convey smiles to individuals’s faces. And we prefer to do not forget that we will be lighthearted in a few of this to get us by powerful occasions
Knox: Skrewball is fully self-funded. What led you down that path?
Steven Yeng: Nicely, you recognize that saying that the financial institution would solely lend you cash once you don’t want it? Nicely, we tried to get funding and we simply couldn’t get it. And that led to arduous and troublesome occasions the place we couldn’t pay our electrical energy invoice or we needed to pay one thing utilizing the factors on our bank card.
Brittany Yeng: For us, it was a delivery of necessity. However we’re believers in seeing what you are able to do by yourself. There’s freedom in it being your individual firm, not having to fret about it. Would we’ve been capable of do the charitable issues that we need to do? Would we be capable to do a few of these issues the place we is likely to be shedding cash within the brief time period for the larger good of the model, if we had any person over our shoulder? And so, I feel on this world the place enterprise capital and funding are celebrated, it is vital for you to consider what you are able to do by yourself and be extra artistic about how one can finance the corporate. And there’s a drive in failure actually not being an possibility. If you’re going to lose your home and lose all the things your labored for, it adjustments issues. There’s a driving power that can make you discover some semblance of success out of that.
Knox: What recommendation do you give to different entrepreneurs which have a hope and a dream, and need to take that subsequent step?
Brittany Yeng: Don’t be afraid to make errors. Failure is the place you’ll keep in mind most, as a result of it hurts and it’s the best depth studying expertise you’ll be able to have. And so, actually not being afraid of failure within the brief time period, however not letting failure within the long-term being an possibility both. And so, quite a lot of it’s simply taking that first step. That first step is the toughest, however with my chemistry background I consider it like that activation vitality. You must transfer to the place it’s tougher to return to the place you had been, and it’s important to preserve transferring ahead. And so it’s getting that, taking sufficient steps which you can’t return.
