Doing Drinks Differently: Say Hello to Siegfried

Despite the impact of COVID-19, uncertainty surrounding the industry and a dramatic reduction in the number of trade shows taking place, it’s been a busy year for one of our most popular brands, Siegfried. As one of the most exciting names in our portfolio, the Rhinelanders are not ones to shy away from radical marketing ideas. It’s safe to say that they’ve had a pretty interesting 2021.

The German brand has gone from strength to strength in recent years, leading to it becoming one of the most revered and well-respected brands in both the gin and non-alcoholic spirit spaces.

Their flagship offering is a multi-award winning Rhineland dry gin that combines subtle citrus notes with bitter orange, thyme and ginger. 

In the modern market, however, a strong alcoholic offering will only get you so far. This is where Wonderleaf and Wonderoak come in. Siegfried’s exciting range of non-alcoholic alternatives have received high praise and seem almost too good to be true. 

Wonderleaf actually started life as an April Fool’s joke in 2016. Overwhelmed with the positive response to suggesting they produce a non-alcoholic spirit, it became clear there was opportunity for expansion. After a development period spent researching the highest quality botanicals and how their flavour profiles worked, Wonderleaf was born in 2018.

Off the back of Wonderleaf’s success, a new non-alcoholic spirit was developed. But this time the focus was on a warm aromatic flavour, rather than the bitter spikey notes associated with gin. Seigfried’s brand new Wonderoak was launched in September 2021 and can be likened to rum in both appearance and taste. Drinkers can either choose to use Wonderoak as an alcohol replacement or to simply dilute mixers, the choice is theirs.

With a range of exciting products and a brand worthy of attention, Seigfired undertook a groundbreaking series of marketing campaigns this year to help spread the word.

From Cologne/Bonn to the World    

Cologne Bonn Airport is one of the busiest and most interconnected transport hubs in Europe - what better place to sell Siegfried’s story? 

Using perhaps the world’s very first gin vending machine, Siegfried has been able to bring its brand and story to the thousands of travellers using the airport every day. Coupled with this unique take on airport refreshment, art covering the walls in one of the busiest areas of the terminal bore the slogan ‘Say hello to Siegfried’ - quite the arrival!

Speaking of the partnership between the Siegfried and Cologne airport, Raphael Vollmar of Siegfried discussed his pride and gratitude toward the airport authority; “We are proud and grateful that we have found a partner in Cologne Bonn Airport who so actively supports our desire to bring the brand into the world”. His partner, Gerald Koenen also added: “We have had many surprises and exciting collaborations. The commitment of Cologne / Bonn Airport is definitely one of them, and we are very grateful for it”. 

The passengers who stopped to take in what was on offer were met with the option of either premium Rhineland gin or the non-alcoholic alternative, Wonderleaf.  

1UPing the Competition

The Rhinelanders are no strangers to these kinds of unconventional ideas and creative collaborations when it comes to their marketing. Back in May 2021, Siegfried teamed up with the famous 1UP (One United Power) crew for a one of a kind art installation.

The Berlin-Kreuzberg based street art collective created a mural covering 361 bottles of premium Siegfried gin. Once the installation was complete, each bottle was then sold off at the standard retail price with Siegfried bosses explaining that everyone should be able to afford a piece of art.

Once all 361 bottles were sold off, the mural itself was destroyed. However, the digital version of the artwork was later sold off as an NFT (non-fungible token) within the Ethereum (cryptocurrency) blockchain. The proceeds of these sales were then donated to the Bonn Children’s Home.

The Brains Behind the Bottle

The excitement Seigfried generates is no accident. Life long friends Raphael Vollmar and Gerald Koenen founded the company back in 2014 with the simple aim of rethinking and disrupting the gin industry.

And disrupt they did. The initial release of their Rhineland Dry Gin resulted in Seigfried winning multiple international awards and accolades while regularly appearing in the top results on Amazon.de - not bad for a business founded on €4,000.

As well as coming up with original flavour profiles for their ever expanding portfolio, Vollmar and Koenen have built a reputation for innovative campaigns, designs and partnerships. As well as these creative campaigns, they proudly demonstrate the Siegfried brands as market leaders every year at Bar Convent Berlin with the latest edition taking place earlier in October 2021.