Seedlip Seed Sower – Brand Ambassador
There are some brands which just seem to be ‘of the moment’ and for us, Seedlip is one of those. So we are hugely proud to be working with them as they go from strength to strength. As well as handling all consumer activations in the off-trade, we are rolling out frontline training in the casual dining groups where Seedlip is listed. Specially trained Seed Sowers are the brand ambassadors providing bar staff with further insights on this more complex alcohol-free alternative.
One of our Angels, Hannah, recounts what it’s like to be a Seed Sower:
“In my time working with HEL’s, I have been fortunate enough to work with many fantastic brands and share their enthusiasm and dedication to working with new and unique products. And to me, nothing represents this more than Seedlip. Seedlip is a fantastic non-alcoholic spirit from Lincolnshire-based distiller Ben Branson, that finally solves the question of ‘what to drink when you’re not drinking’.
So, what does a day in the life of a Seed Sower look like? First and foremost, it’s making sure I am up to date on all the current information regarding the brand. This is so important because I am the frontline person relaying all the training and information to the Seedlip accounts. Everything I mention gets filtered down to all staff members, in all bars and restaurants that stock Seedlip, so it has to be on point.
Seedlip and HEL’s provide fantastic training for us Seed Sowers. The training materials help me get to know the people behind the brand. When I talk about founder Ben Branson, I really feel like I can translate his passion for the brand and the experience he is trying to create for the customer.
During Seedlip training sessions I find the best thing to do is assess your venue and then structure your training around that. A pub in Cambridge is going to probably have a different clientele than a restaurant in Mayfair and therefore different training needs. Regardless of venue I always start with a rundown on the history of Seedlip, how and why it was created, and how Ben came to create the first version of Seedlip.
Then we move on to the bottles. Ben’s background in branding means he has created the most beautifully thought-out bottles. It happens to be a personal favourite note of mine that all 6 ingredients in each bottle can be found within the picture on the front, I like to relay this in the hope that the staff will enjoy the idea and in turn relay it to customers. The meaning behind the numbers in each name is also a fantastic anecdote and always gets a good reaction from staff members.
Next, we delve into the ingredients, taste notes and exactly what is in each bottle. During this section, I discuss the process of distillation. It’s important that the staff understand how it is made because one of the most common questions is “How can there be no alcohol in it?” and they need to be fully confident in being able to answer clearly.
Following this it’s finally time for the staff to taste Seedlip! Depending on what they stock in their venue, I will normally have staff try Spice 94, followed by Garden 108 and finish with Grove 42 – mainly because this is the order that they were released in, so it becomes a Seedlip flavour journey. During the tastings, I encourage the staff to be honest about what they think and taste, so that in turn they can help consumers make the best choice for their taste preference.
We also discuss how to recommend Seedlip when serving a table and bullet point key selling points to staff. There are definitely some buzzwords that always grab attention so I like to give staff a ‘cheat sheet’ they can refer to.
Lastly, we finish with the Q&A. Probably one of the most important parts of the training session. Some of the most common questions include, “Is it a non-alcoholic Gin?’ (no btw, the absence of Juniper is the reason why), ‘Can I mix it with alcohol?’ and ‘Can I drink it neat?’. Surprisingly the question about mixing it with alcohol is probably the most common! The Q&A section is always really fun because most staff members are keen to feedback and learn as much as they can about the brand.
It’s easy to have a great day when the brand you are working with is fun, engaging and unique!”
