The secret to success with any product and particularly with a beer is the taste and the presentation. Australian businessman Philip Smouha has hit the jackpot with his boutique beverage Lucky Beer. The drink and bottle are created brewed in China. No surprise then to learn that the beer has a distinctive Asian flavour.
Lucky Beer comes in an unusual bottle. Unusual in more ways than one because it has the image of a laughing Buddha and the bottle is a chubby, chunky shape unlike the standard thin beer-in-a-bottle shape you see everywhere. The bottle alone grabs attention and Smouha is disappointed to see the end of the glass bottle once the beer has been consumed. Smouha believes there are many uses for the striking bottle including; cute candle holders and as a cheeky flower vase. His business headquarters has many examples of recycled Lucky Beer bottles.
The beer has hit the spot with trendy and discerning beer drinkers in Sydney where it’s become known as a city beer. Distribution to other Australian cities has begun but there’s been a surprising development in international sales. Beer drinkers in LA and the Big Apple have discovered the unique taste and appearance of Lucky Beer where it has a strong and loyal following of both male and female drinkers.
The inspiration behind Lucky Beer was Smouha wanting the ‘wow’ factor to apply to the bottle. This he has achieved in spades. The smiling Buddha and the bottle design in general is always a conversation starter long before the unique taste of the liquid amber has hit the taste buds. Many drinkers enjoy a Lucky Beer with a slice of ginger – It certainly is a unique taste. The unique taste of the beer also goes hand in hand with asian style cuisine, especially south east Asian meals where ginger is common.
Getting any new beer launched in the competitive Australian market is a tough ask. For Philip Smouha to have made such a niche hit with his Lucky Beer is no mean feat. To then have that same beer increasingly popular in the American market and in New York in particular is a spectacular success.
The worldwide markets for Lucky Beer have yet to be tapped but tapped they soon will be. One can only imagine the future this clever beverage is destined to create as Philip Smouha chalks up another carefully planned entrepreneurial success!