Exclusive Interview with Mrs. Brooke Boak, President of Drink Tank Ltd.

Exclusive Interview with Mrs. Brooke Boak, President of Drink Tank Ltd., California

Q: What is your full name, title, company name and company location?

Hi! My name is Brooke Boak and I’m the President of Drink Tank Ltd. in San Francisco, California.

Q: Your company name and the shape of your bottle are both very unique and intriguing, what is the story behind them? 

I’m a scuba diver and the Tank Rum name and bottle are inspired by diver life. I started snorkeling when I was 4 years old, got scuba certified when I was a teenager and have been diving all over the world. The best part about scuba diving is that every time you go it’s a different experience. When you stand on the side of the boat, you wonder what you’re going to see when you jump in - maybe a large school of fish, a shark or a beautiful coral display.

After a day of diving, it’s time to sit back and relax with my friends or family and share stories over a cocktail. This, of course, is almost as much fun as the diving! I want to share that feeling of adventure and camaraderie by creating a great rum for people like us.

Q: How challenging was it to produce a glass bottle that resembles a scuba tank? Why isn’t it made of metal, like the real tanks? 

My plan when starting the company *was* actually to make the bottles out of stainless steel, both because it would look more like a scuba tank and because stainless steel is 100% recyclable and environmentally friendly. Stainless steel has some drawbacks, though. The first is that it’s really expensive to manufacture and the second is that you can’t actually *see* the liquid inside the bottle, which is important to consumers. Our crystal-clear glass bottles do a great job of showing off the rum, and help us bring the cost of the product down for our customers. 

I did make some prototype stainless steel bottles though, and thought they were really cool, so I decided to create another product out of them. It’s called TankH2O, a stainless steel water bottle shaped like a scuba diving tank, and it’s now the top-selling scuba product on Amazon.

Q: Can you describe the process you went through to select the rum for your brand?

First I want to point out that rum, more than any other spirit, evokes the tropics. It comes from sugarcane, which is grown and refined exclusively in the tropics. Our sugarcane comes from Réunion Island, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar, which is responsible for some of the world’s best rum AND is near some of the world’s best dive sites. Caribbean rum is already popular in the American market and we wanted a product that was delicious, luxurious and exotic. We found the perfect source of sugarcane for our rum on Réunion Island and have figured out how to bring it to the world from there.

Q: Where can consumers currently purchase your rum? Will it be available primarily at diving destinations or will it be distributed in-land as well?

The first shipments of Tank Rum will be arriving In the U.S. soon. We’re working closely with our distribution partners, as well as their vendors at liquor stores, restaurants and bars to introduce Tank Rum in their respective markets.

Our distributors serve markets throughout the country and based on the level of interest we’ve received we’re anticipating that Tank Rum will eventually be available in most states. While our initial focus is on the US, Travel Retailers (aka: Duty Free stores at International Airports and Cruise Ship Ports) throughout the Caribbean and as far away as New Zealand are already making plans to introduce Tank Rum to their customers.

Q: Any plans on producing other rums in the near future?

We have a product roadmap that includes ultra-premium aged and flavored expressions as well as developing other unique packaging concepts. For now, we’re concentrating on the launch of Tank Platinum Rum, so it’s too early to put a timeline on any new products, but 2018 introductions are more than likely.

Q: Do you have any advice for future brand owners who are thinking about developing a new brand concept, such as yours?

It’s easier to target a niche audience than it is to go up against the big, established players directly. By launching the TankH2O water bottles before the rum, we built a worldwide customer base that’s passionate about our lifestyle and product. We’ve learned who our customers are, which has really helped us to enter the spirits business confidently.

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?

Whether you’re interested in Tank Rum or how to launch a new brand, I’d love to chat. The best way to reach me is by email: brooke@drinktankltd.com. And once Tank Rum is available, we’ll keep you updated on where you can buy it on our website: www.TankRum.com.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Before we started production, we did a crowdfunding campaign to raise awareness and money for the first batch of Tank Rum. Launching a crowdfunding campaign for a spirit was tricky, because we weren’t licensed to sell or ship spirits directly to our customers. We were able to come up with some creative non-spirit rewards, and we managed to surpass our fundraising goal. Our successful campaign proved that we have a customer base and that they really want the product.

-Interview by Margaret Ayala-  

I am delighted to share this story with all our readers. Not only does it serve as inspiration to entrepreneurs in general, it also illustrates clearly the power of synergies! Many people dream about converting their passions into their careers, few of them attempt to do it and fewer even succeed! By combining her passion for scuba diving with her love for rum, Brooke Boak has elegantly combined both worlds, satisfying the thirst for exploration above and below the ocean.  I wish much success to Brooke and her entire team!

Margaret Ayala, Publisher