Today we’d like to introduce you to James & Betsi Kenna.
James & Betsi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My wife, Betsi, works remotely, and over the holidays she asked me to host an online Happy Hour for her co-workers as they couldn’t meet in person. So, I created a little cocktail class just showing people some simple homemade drinks and it was a huge hit. We’ve always been cocktail enthusiasts, but we noticed how saturated the industry has become with complicated cocktails.
We felt like most people don’t make them at home because they think it’s going to be too challenging or need a bunch of special ingredients that they won’t know what else to do with. The truth is making cocktails is like cooking, it can be as complicated or easy as you make it.
Not long after that cocktail class, we were walking through the farmers market and saw someone selling olive juice for making martinis. Betsi and I started chatting about how we never see other vendors marketing anything for cocktails, and what a great idea it would be if we could bring that cocktail-making experience to a larger audience.
Well after much research and a little too much sampling, here we are starting our own cocktail accoutrements business called My Cocktail Cabinet. While only in its infancy we are constantly adding new products, and recipes, and will soon be shipping. We’re all about showing people that making delicious cocktails at home can be easy, that’s where we got our motto, Craft Simple.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have definitely been some struggles along the way. Florida has very confusing laws regarding farmers’ markets and food-adjacent products to parse through. It took a ton of research and phone calls to figure out how to navigate that. We’ve also never had a market stall before, so we had to figure out how to break into that business, who to talk to in order to get approved, and what all of the extras are that you really need to have on hand to be successful.
Our first market was a real learning experience – we underestimated the amount of messaging and consumer education we’d need and made way too much product. For many, this might be the first time they’ve bought or used a product like ours, so there’s a level of storytelling that’s really needed to highlight what we’re about and what our products bring to the table. Now for the 5 weeks, we’ve been doing this, a lot of our sales still come after educating people on what simple syrups, bitters, and infusion kits are.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Betsi has been a Supply Chain and Logistics professional for the last decade. Thank goodness she’s here to be the brains of the operation. Joking aside, she’s an amazing tactical and strategic thinker with a knack for efficiency and getting things done. Her experience in Logistics, particularly in the CPG space has been a huge asset as we’ve worked to navigate the commercial side of the business.
I have over twenty years of experience in hospitality. I think having worked in restaurants and bars in three states gives me a uniquely expansive perspective on cocktail creation. I’ve worked in bars that run the gamut from dive to fine dining, so my take on cocktail crafting is about simplicity and flavor. I have a real passion for creative spaces and I’m always more than happy to talk your ear off about anything booze related.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
We are certainly not risk-averse or afraid to jump on a new idea, but we try to be practical and realistic. We tend to be spontaneous, while still planning ahead, you just have to be adaptable.
When we realized we didn’t like living in the suburbs and couldn’t take the Minnesota cold anymore, we sold our house, uprooted ourselves, and made a new home in Florida. When we were overwhelmed with starting up this business, James stepped back from bartending to push it through. We’re in it together and together we make a great team.
Contact Info:
- Website: mycocktailcabinet.com
- Instagram: @mycocktailcabinet
