OF PLEASURE AND GOOD CHEER
Attention to Detail has LumiereVodka Primed as a World-Class Brand
BY CLEVELAND FERGUSON III
I n sitting down with entrepreneur Terrence E. Wheeler (Beta Chi 2017) the Kappa Alpha Psi® Journal had the opportunity to understand the man behind the brand, LumiereVodka. Wheeler began with “Litty Juice” at Hampton University. It was a pre-made cocktail he sold in snack baggies with a straw inserted at the top. “Litty Juice had a greenish hue to it. It smelled really good and had a wonderful taste,” Wheeler recalled. With the increased popularity he switched to glass bottles he procured from the local Dollar Store. This was an opportunity for him to increase his passive income and as the brand awareness increased across college campuses in the area, he knew he had to transition from the cocktail being a “side hustle” to it becoming his focus. “This inspired me to create a spirit with an enticing aroma and unique taste that resembled its raw ingredients while packaged in a bottle design that would draw con- sumer attention at the point-of-sale.” LumiereVodka was born. As he was getting started, Wheeler understood that for LumiereVodka to
“... FOR LUMIEREVODKA TO BE MARKETABLE, IT NEEDED TO BE ‘ATTRACTIVE, RELATABLE, AND REASONABLE FOR PEOPLE TO PURCHASE.’”
be marketable, it needed to be “attrac- tive, relatable, and reasonable for people to purchase.” “Often, when starting a business, one of the toughest things to do is build a following and convince people that your product is worth purchasing repetitively. I had to develop a creative marketing model during college and post-graduate years when the brand launched to grasp people’s interest. To
stay in business, your creativity as a founder must always be at the fore- front of your brand.” Once Wheeler secured the formula he wanted, he pitched to more than 150 potential investors before securing funding to launch his brand. “During the early stages, I used the SCORE® mentoring program. They are an excellent free program with a large network of experienced business professionals who can help anybody. One of my most helpful mentors was Gordon Chisholm, he was a former Director of Marketing for Bacardi.” LumiereVodka has evolved signifi- cantly since its inception. The bottle has undergone just under a dozen iterations before it was ready for
LUMIERE VODKA info@lumierevodka.com IG @lumierevodka www.lumierevodka.com
WINTER 2023-2024 ♦ THE JOURNAL 49
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