“I cannot believe that I won”, it’s the underlying sentiment when speaking to Fever-Tree’s Trish Brew after she was voted Brand Ambassador of the Year at this year’s Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA).
It’s a genuine sentiment as well, when Bars and Clubs spoke to Trish about her win, even though it was a few days after the awards night itself, there was still an huge element of shock.
Trish said: “Just to be nominated against some of the most incredible people in the drinks industry was amazing. I look at that list, and I am lucky enough in my role to work with these Ambassadors often, and they just blow my mind. I am honestly just flattered beyond words, it’s massive, I still can’t believe it.
“Most of these Ambassadors have been in their roles for a lot longer than myself, I remember when I started at Fever-Tree three-and-a-half years ago, I asked them all for advice. So I want to dedicate my win to all of them because they have all helped me along the way.”
We all know and love Brand Ambassadors, and the role that they play in not only sharing stories about their brand, but also in being the conduit, the go-to person for issue with the brand. It’s something that Trish said is a massive, almost unseen, part of the role.
“I think the thing about being a Brand Ambassador, which is why I really appreciate this [award], it’s just such a big job and there is so much to do all the time,” she said.
“One of the things you think of when you think of a Brand Ambassador is you think they can just swan in and be a bit of a cheerleader for the brand, but there’s a lot of things that we deal with.
“If there are out of stock issues then you’re the one that people will go to across the country, there’s late nights, early mornings, missed or delayed flights. There’s just a long list of things that you do in this job but when you do an event or something with the trade and you bring some joy into the industry there is nothing like that feeling.”
She added: “Even through lockdown we were all working hard to both keep yourself in a job but also stay relevant, so there were lots of online trainings and virtual sessions. But there were sessions when we had 500 people on a Zoom call and people see that as the event, but you’re the one sitting there dehydrating hundreds of garnishes and putting them together, so there is a lot that happens behind the scenes.
“Now the industry is getting back to some of normality and everyone’s really busy and it’s actually the most exciting time now.”
Having been the Bar Manager at Gin Palace, Trish said she was approached by a number of brands to take on an Ambassador role, but it was the Fever-Tree role that really sparked her interest.
“The Fever-Tree role was available and what that meant was that not only would I be working for the world’s best mixer, but I would still have the opportunity to work with all of these wonderful spirits partners that we all know and love.”
And not only is there genuine shock at being voted Brand Ambassador of the Year, there is genuine passion for the brand, which is one of the many reasons Trish won the award.
She told Bars and Clubs: “I love the range. It’s such high quality and there’s something for everyone. It started as a tonic company and that’s how I was introduced to it, but you know I still have people come up to me and say they don’t like tonic, but I give them the Fever-Tree Mediterranean and it changes their life.
“But also they are so creative and they’re always looking with new flavours and innovation is such a huge thing, to keep up with the different spirits that are coming out in the industry, it’s really exciting and there is never a dull moment.”
Speaking of which, there’s something we can look forward to for the summer, as Trish explained: “We are going to be launching a new exciting flavour just in time for summer, which is the Clementine Orange Tonic and I’m just going to say this now orange is the new pink, it’s the colour for this summer so look out for that.”
A massive congratulations to Trish and to the further Fever-Tree team for all the ALIA wins this year, looking forward to sharing an orange drink with you soon.
