Bot Beverages : It's Not Just for Kids Anymore

Back in 2007 when Brian Allen and his wife, Cricket, launched Bot Beverages, their primary motivation was to provide a healthier drink alternative for their twin pre-school age daughters.   

“They never really liked soda. We would dilute juice with water sometimes, but they pretty much just drank water,” explained Allen. “My wife and I wanted to come up with something else they would enjoy drinking. We knew the vitamins and minerals we wanted and also the taste profile.  We also knew that we didn't want artificial sweeteners, chemical preservatives or dyes. We then hired a flavor company to perfect the formula.”

Fast forward four years to 2011: the girls are now 7-and-a-half and thriving and so is the company, which the Allens are in the process of expanding to meet the needs of a wider audience. Bot, which started out as a drink aimed at the children’s market, is now going for the adult beverage market. 

“When we were in a smaller bottle and branded for kids, we were competing against juice boxes and there’s a price challenge that comes from being in a bottle,” said Allen. “We learned that there was a broader market for our product. That was our ‘aha’ moment, so this past spring, we re-branded and repositioned our beverages for adults ages 18 and up.”

Bot’s adult niche is intended to compete head-to-head with Vitamin water, Gatorade and Skinny Water.   

“Ours is an all-natural vitamin and mineral-enhanced water,” said Allen. “There are only 50 calories in the entire bottle, and no artificial preservatives or dyes. The taste profile is light and crisp; the lemon tastes like you squeezed a lemon in it.”  

The new product launched in April 2011 and sells locally in stores like Wegmans and Whole Foods, as well as Price Chopper, a grocery chain in New York.  

The Allens also use a distribution strategy known in the business as the “Up and Down the Street” system. It’s the idea of using Mom and Pop style stores with a loyal local following. In Princeton, that translates to selling in places like Olives on Witherspoon Street and Chuck’s Spring Street Café.

“The consumer base in Princeton is a bulls-eye for us,” said Allen. “They are smart, healthy consumers who read labels and care about what they eat. Most of the merchants – I’d say 99.999 percent of them, are willing to work with local companies. They are all tremendously supportive and say 'let’s get your product in here, we’ll put up signage to help get the word out.'"   

The Allens have done so well with the beverage market, they are also diversifying and launching a new snack product called SNAQUE.

 “It’s a whole grain, dry snack mix,” said Allen. “We use ingredients like quinoa, amaranth and chia seeds. (Yes, they are the ones used in the famous chia plants sold on TV). The Aztecs used them when they ran long distances. They’re good for you and give you endless energy.”

Allen said he and Cricket worked with food science experts at Cornell University to develop this alternative to snacks like breakfast bars and trail mix. Carried in a container similar to those used for Tic-Tacs, the new snack is high in protein, fiber, folate, whole grains, and micronutrients and are low in sugar and fat.

The product is being sold locally at places like the Whole Earth Center in Princeton, the Princeton Health and Wellness Center and Main Street in Kingston. They hope to go to wider distribution later this year.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Brian Allen was an actor, writer and director, with many commercials to his credit as well as small roles in shows like Law and Order. His wife was in marketing. 

“Her background offers key fundamental marketing insights,” said Allen. “As for me, acting and directing both can be very entrepreneurial. You have to have tenacity and the desire to go out and do it yourself.” 

Bot Beverages maintains an office on Witherspoon Street in Princeton. Allen has a couple of part-time people and outsources certain aspects of the business, such as accounting and advertising, but the company is still largely based on the hard work and sweat equity of Allen and his wife, Cricket.

“It took a couple of years to find our groove and when we’re not butting heads, we work well together,” said Allen. “We work our tails off but the business is ours. We get to celebrate the successes and have each other for the low points.”

The Allens will mark their 11^th anniversary in September and they have a lot to celebrate: two healthy and happy daughters, and a business that keeps them busy and grounded.

“At the end of the day, we’re doing what we want to do,” said Allen. “They say do what you love and love what you do and you never have to work. There’s a lot to be said for that.”