Sambar Owner Finds His Soul

Local business owner Mark Lester has always understood that success requires change and growth. That's why five years ago he left his job as an account executive at CBS with the intention of pursuing his MBA.  

His first lesson learned was business does not always go as planned.  The same week he learned he had been accepted into the MBA program at Babson College, his friend asked if he would like to purchase a liquor license in Newport.

“I decided this would be my MBA,” Lester said, and in March of 2007 he opened   on Thames Street.  

The name Sambar, a pun on the Brazilian dance Samba, reflects his desire to bring the flavors and atmosphere of Brazil to Newport.

“I love Brazil,” said Lester. “That country is on fire.”

If Sambar was his “MBA 101,” mid-terms came the following year, when the economy took a sharp turn.  

Lester asked his sales representatives about Cachaça, a distilled rum-like drink,  that he enjoyed during his trips to Brazil.  Despite it being the second most popular drink in the world, his distributors were unfamiliar with the liquor.  He saw the untapped American market as his opportunity to diversify, and in November of last year, Lester launched Soul, his own brand of Cachaça.

“Soul is short, simple, clean,” responded Lester when asked how he came up with the brand’s name.  “What’s more clean than your soul?  That is why we call it the spirit of Brazil.”

A year later, Soul has almost 400 accounts throughout Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey and is looking to expand to more states in 2012.   It has received a rating of 93 by the Tasting Panel and has received a gold medal by the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition. This month the Tasting Panel will announce it as the brand most likely to succeed in 2012.  

“We are very fortunate with the local community and how well they have embraced the product,” Lester said.

Lester said that just like any gourmet chef will say, the secret to a superior product lies in the quality of the raw ingredients.  Unlike some competitors, Soul does not contain additives normally used to speed the fermentation process.  

The brand grows its own sugar in Brazil, which is cut by hand.  Lester said many products will burn the sugar, in order to speed-up the harvesting process.  The burning increases bacteria levels, which requires the additive of sulfuric acid to contain them.

Soul is then aged in wooden barrels for a minimum of a year, bottled in Brazil, imported into the US and finally sold to distributors.

“It’s not another vodka,” said Lester. “The vodka market is saturated.  They have everything from bubble gum to whipped cream to birthday cake flavors.”

Lester said he is able to compete with companies with much deeper pockets through social media marketing, which is more cost effective than traditional print advertising methods.  He leverages off-shore marketing firms to run the Facebook sites, post blogs and answer questions about the product.

On-shore, he has a team of about 50 promoters, called Soulmates, that conduct tasting and marketing events.

Looking ahead, Lester said he plans to form strategic partnerships with local events and businesses.  He is also exploring adding wines to expand the brand. 

Locally, Soul is available at , Speakeasy, Diego's and , as well as most liquor stores.