Marketing the sweet taste of Medos- Polish Vodka in Montana?

Craig Danenhauer hopes to earn some scratch by slaking a thirst.

But first he has to create the thirst and point it in his direction.

By SCOTT McMILLION Chronicle Staff Writer

He’s got a cool product and the beginnings of a slick and sexy marketing campaign. Now he’s trying to decide the best way to go about breaking into both local and national markets.

It’s been tough getting this far, but he has some options already.

The product is a Polish vodka called Medos.

Sweetened with herbs, fruit, sugar and honey, Medos is the color of whiskey with just a trace of the bite. And the honey lends a certain unctuous texture.

One seasoned tippler last weekend described Medos as "medieval Southern Comfort." And it goes down easy, either as a shot or sipped over ice cubes after dinner. Or you can mix with other sweet beverages like Bailey’s, Red Bull, 7 Up or Coca Cola.

At 80 proof, it’s strong enough to offer the punch craved by serious drinkers, but sweet enough to appeal to occasional tipplers.

And Danenhauer’s Bozeman-based company, Polish Honey Vodka LLC, is the only importer in the United States.

The problem right now is finding the best way to get the bottles into the bars and liquor stores.

"We’ve learned just how difficult it is," Danenhauer said in a recent interview.

The project started a few years ago when a friend of Danenhauer’s began bringing bottles of Medos back from Poland. People liked it and kept asking for more.

"He started realizing there was a market there," Danenhaue said.

Talk turned into action and the company was formed.

Danenhauer and his three partners — he declined to name them — learned that the Polish distiller has been in business since 1810, but had no import agreement into the United States for this product. So they inked an exclusive deal.

Then they met one of their biggest hurdles: the federal government, with its vast and arcane rules on how a person can sell liquor.

"One of the toughest things was getting approval for a label" that carries all the government-required information and still has eye appeal, Danenhauer said.

Two months ago, those bureaucratic and design barriers were cleared and 56 cases arrived in the country.

That created the current dilemma: how best to get that sweetened nectar between the lips of the nation’s consumers?

First off was a tasting party at the Rocking R Bar in Bozeman.

"It went good," said Mike Hope, vice president at the Rocking R. "We went through three cases in a weekend."

At East Main Liquor Store, owner Esther Scott said Medos is moving pretty steadily, considering that few people know about it yet.

"I don’t know that a lot of people are on to it," Scott said. "But everybody who’s tried it likes it."

Danenhauer said he’s aiming at the market created by Jaegermeister, a pungent herbal liquor that caught on with the college-age party crowd in a big way.

But Medos seems more popular than Jaegermeister with women, Scott said, and it’s an unusual product, unlike the long and growing list of flavored vodkas.

Still, marketing and distribution are big challenges and one won’t happen without the other.

"It’s distribution and constant follow-up," Hope said. "It’s a tough road, getting it in front of the public."

Danenhauer said some major distributors already are making offers to carry Medos, but he’s not sure that’s the path to take.

On one hand, letting a major player handle distribution can open a lot of doors.

On the other hand, the big company takes a big slice of the profits.

And Danenhauer is hoping the profits will be big.

After all, nobody had heard of Jaegermeister a few years ago. Now it’s everywhere.

"This is a product that has the potential for a lot of success nationally," he said. "What we can do from Bozeman, our options are almost unlimited."

"They have a shot at it," agreed Hope. "They’ve got a good product and they’re working hard."

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2003/05/18/news/vodkabzbigs.txt