Thursday 26 March 2025
1:00pm · The George Hotel, Cullingworth
Richard Cullen · Tiffins Director
Today's objective
£38
Ex-VAT per bottle
Floor: £32.50 · Don't open there
15
Bottles trial order
1 per SKU × 5 venues
£251
Your profit at £38
On the trial alone
This is NOT a product sale. You are a revenue growth partner. Goal: trial → performance data → estate-wide rollout.
Pricing Position
Open at £38 ex-VAT. Do not lead with price — let them ask first. Floor is £32.50, use only as a last close. At £38, one bottle generates ~£126 over their bar. That's your anchor.
Your B2C RRP is £44.95–£46.95. He can see that. Use it: "Our bottles go direct to consumers at £44.95 — you're getting them at £38."
VAT Position
You are not currently VAT registered. Quote £38 + VAT, close the order, register with HMRC this afternoon (20 min online), issue a proper VAT invoice tonight. He reclaims it anyway — cost-neutral for him. Do not let this become a sticking point.
Exclusivity Card
"We tend to work on an area basis — if we build this with you, we wouldn't look to place it in competing venues nearby. As long as it's performing and we're growing it together."
Use to create urgency and justify price. Do NOT offer unconditionally. Tie it to performance.
Product Roles
Bonfire Toffee VodkaVolume driver
Fire EnGINSafe / familiar option
Smokey Timber RumDifferentiator / story
"This isn't about being the cheapest bottle behind the bar — it's about being the one that actually makes you money."
Tiffins estate — 5 venues, tailored strategy
High volume
City Vaults
Strong weekday turnover · food + drink
Lead with: Vodka Serve: Vodka + energy drink Focus: Speed & volume margin Post-trial scale: Vodka-heavy
High volume
The Ginger Goose
Match-day traffic · fast-paced environment
Lead with: Vodka + Rum Serve: Rum + coke, Vodka + mixer Focus: Volume, simple serves Post-trial scale: Vodka + Rum
You are here today
The George Hotel
Cullingworth · community / mixed
Lead with: Staff upsell story Serve: "Something different" — all three Focus: Ease of recommendation Note: Use this room in your pitch
Community
The Lord Clyde
Community pub · mixed occasion
Lead with: Familiar serves Serve: Mixed, easy recommends Focus: Regulars + upsell Post-trial scale: Mixed based on data
Premium / experience
Headley Venue
Experience-led · premium positioning
Lead with: Gin + Rum as craft experience · Serve: Gin & tonic, Rum neat or with premium mixer · Focus: Perceived quality · spend per head · Post-trial scale: Gin + Rum heavy
Post-trial: do NOT restock evenly. Scale by performance data — treat each venue differently. City Vaults and Ginger Goose are your volume engines. Headley is your margin engine.
Richard's ROI — slide to model live
£38.00
£4.50
28
Their return per bottle
—
Bar revenue
gross over counter
—
They pay you
ex-VAT
—
Their profit/bottle
—
—
ROI on outlay
return per £1 spent
Profit breakdown — visual
Cost
Profit
£0—
Trial order — 5 venues × 3 bottles each
—
Your revenue
15 bottles at trade price
—
Your profit
after cost of goods
—
Richard's profit
across 5 venues if sold
Price point comparison — same shot price
Your margins at trade price — all three products
Summary
Bonfire Toffee Vodka
Fire EnGIN
Smokey Timber Rum
£38.00
Trial order profit — 5 bottles per SKU
£38.00
£120.00
Cost breakdown per 70cl bottle sold
£38.00
£144.00
Cost breakdown per 70cl bottle sold
£38.00
£144.00
Cost breakdown per 70cl bottle sold
RTD unit economics — Smokey Timber Rum & Ginger Ale
£144.00
6.5%
16%
330ml
£3.99
35%
Cost per can
Margin summary
Run scenarios
Bar staff t-shirt programme — cost vs ROI
£10.00
3
5
£38.00
£21.24
Break-even analysis
How to deploy it
1
Don't hand over today
Mention it. Make it a reward for the first reorder. Creates pull, not just push.
2
Quality matters
Heavy black cotton, minimal Firehouse mark. Staff wear it because they want to. Budget £10–12, not £5.
3
Bean Creative designs it
Zero design cost. Dark, minimal, "Crafted with Intent" on back. Firehouse mark on chest.
4
Mention it to Richard today
"We put together a bar staff kit for venues we're properly building with — shirts, serve cards. Once you're stocked and moving, that's the next step."
Meeting flow
1
Open — reframe
"I'm not here to just get a bottle behind the bar. I had a look at your setup — food and drinks are strong, but spirits aren't really being pushed."
2
Qualify — their price point
"Out of interest — where do you typically sit on spirits per 25ml across the venues?"
3
Drop the value anchor
"At that level, one bottle is doing around £120+ over the bar — and that's where it gets really interesting from a margin point of view."
4
Introduce — spend per head
"This isn't about adding another bottle. It's about increasing spend per head. Customers upgrade when there's a story behind it."
5
Trial close
"Best way to start is one of each per venue — low risk, lets staff get familiar, we see what moves."
6
Scale position
"If it performs, we scale across the venues properly — tailored to what's working where."
Rules — what not to do
Do not lead with price — let them ask first
Do not undersell — £126 over the bar is the anchor
Do not offer unconditional exclusivity — tie it to performance
Do not treat all venues the same — tailor per venue type
Do not restock evenly after trial — scale what sells
What to do
Position as a revenue growth partner, not a supplier
Use their £88+ profit per bottle as your strongest close
Reference The George directly — you're sitting in one of their venues
Keep the ask small — 15 bottles, low risk, easy yes
Leave with a delivery date and reorder trigger agreed
You're meeting at The George Hotel — one of their own venues. Use it: "This is exactly the kind of space where the Rum stands out — community feel, people looking for something different."
"This isn't about being the cheapest bottle behind the bar — it's about being the one that actually makes you money."