Uniqueness offers the luxury of time

Over the last few weeks we have released, on our website a snippet of what is to come with our new signature premium collections. These signature premium collections are comprised of separate unique collections that Mendis will be releasing, as to the branding of each respective collection that will be determined by whom we are working with on each one…hint, hint.

As I mentioned a few weeks back, these collections are not just some fancy dressed up bottle being retailed at a luxury price point. Given the current economic conditions and the changing consumer sentiment in the luxury market, no one wants some gimmicky over priced dressed up bottle anymore. When we launched Mendis Coconut Brandy, we did not launch with some diamond encrusted bottle for the very reason that doing so would be gimmicky. The true value of Mendis is inside the bottle itself, that being Mendis unique clear matured Coconut Brandy, the first such product to market. These collections represent the rolling out of the very first bottles, signed, dated and with a twist to them.

Over the last year or two there were a few brands that released flamboyantly dressed up bottles that were retailed at ridiculous prices. The way I view it, no one is going to spend tens of thousands of dollars to buy a bottle of liquid just because it is in some funky bottle when they can buy the same liquid in a cheaper mass produced bottle, seems a rather pointless purchase to me. However, if the liquid inside the bottle cannot be acquired anywhere else and it is not released in mass at cheaper price points, then you have something of value, also sign, date and number each bottle and they are worth even more, restrict production volume and tightly control the release of each bottle and you have the workings to create something truly unique, so unique that only a select few people can ever possess such.

Now obviously the liquid inside the bottle has to be something exceptional and crafted to a level never offered before, of which Mendis is such. Mendis Coconut Brandy is crafted using only one unique and hard to harvest ingredient, nothing is added to this ingredient, it naturally ferments upon harvesting and is then distilled by a trade secret process using custom built copper patent and specially imported Cognac pot stills, then laid down to mature in Halmilla wood casks. The end result is a masterly crafted clear matured brandy found no where else.

I view the Mendis brand under The House of Mendis as an exclusive brand, the Mendis name is steeped in over sixty years of history and the brand has been known for its astute attention to detail, the very thing that attracted me to take on the task I have with Mendis over the last several years. The major benefit the Mendis name has as a luxury brand name over all the other luxury brands is a unique product. When I think of luxury I think of exclusivity, offering something that no other brand offers and crafted to a level of refinement second to no other. Sure you can buy a finely crafted Gucci hand bag, but you also have several other options of luxury hand bag brands offering the same thing, along with buying a knock off if you can’t afford the real thing, not that I condone that.

I am certain with time, once we roll out our collections other brands will spring up imitating Mendis Coconut Brandy, though if the brand is launched right and holds a certain prestige in the market, then the brand has longevity through brand integrity and value. At the end of the day, having a unique product advantage helps in launching a brand, it affords the luxury of strategically planning the roll out of a product slightly different as to how others would do it, no pun intended. So I plan on fully capitalizing on using Mendis' advantage by taking a different approach to how an alcohol brand is presented and marketed, just how different, the clock is ticking and you will soon find out.


Chris S. Richardson
President