Proof of Concept

Proof of Concept

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Stainless steel workshop scene with an open notebook of checklists and a laptop beside a glass of amber liquid under moody lighting.

Business of AI + Drinks

We Built a Strategy Engine. Now Every Decision Goes Through It.

If you can't explain why an AI project should exist in a bootstrapped business, you shouldn't build it. Our strategy engine exists to stop us lying to ourselves.

Stainless steel workbench with a QA clipboard, a laptop with blurred dashboards, and a small glass vial under moody workshop lighting.

Maker vs Machine

Your AI Tools Are Drifting. Here's Why That's Your Job to Fix.

If an AI tool only works when you remember to check it, the checking is part of the system. Drift is normal, but neglect is optional.

Laptop on a brushed stainless steel workbench with a tasting pipette and a glass of amber liquid, lit by moody workshop lighting.

The Drinks Business Built an AI. It's Searching the Wrong Layer.

Trade media building AI search is interesting, but the real compounding advantage for drinks producers sits in production and operations, not in the information layer.

Hands arranging dried botanicals on wooden cutting board with brass mortar and copper measuring tools in warm natural light

Maker vs Machine

Automation Doesn't Replace Craft. It Protects It.

It is not about reducing headcount and saving money. It is about realigning your business to focus on what matters to you the most and what makes your brand unique and valuable to your customers.

Overhead view of distillery workbench with hand-drawn notebook, scoring matrices, botanical samples in jars, and tablet showing analytics

Building an AI Co-Strategist for a Six-Person Spirits Company

We built an internal tool that knows our business in granular detail and scores every idea against weighted strategic objectives. It's a co-strategist with an objective point of view.

Notebook and pen beside a glass of amber spirit on a wooden workbench in a craft distillery, empty chair suggesting contemplation

Business of AI + Drinks

The Unexpected Thing Automation Gave Us Back

We hired our first developer expecting efficiency gains. The real return was the ability to stop and actually think about where the business is going.

Laptop with data visualisations on brushed steel workbench, amber spirit bottles catching warm pendant light in distillery

Zuckerberg Wants an AI CEO. So Should You.

If one of the world's most successful businessmen is building an AI system to synthesise information across his entire company, small business entrepreneurs should be asking why they aren't doing the same.

Laptop showing search analytics data in a craft distillery, amber vermouth glass on steel countertop

Business of AI + Drinks

The Death of Ten Blue Links (and Why Small Drinks Brands Should Be Thrilled)

The established SEO model rewarded scale. GEO doesn't work that way. For a six-person vermouth company, that's a meaningful structural advantage.

Tasting glasses of amber and ruby amaro samples arranged on a steel bar surface with botanicals and a spreadsheet on a laptop behind

Production Intelligence

Teaching an AI to Make a Negroni (and Why It Took Thousands of Tasting Notes to Get There)

We tried asking an LLM to create cocktail recipes. The results were technically plausible and completely wrong. Eight months and a structured tasting database later, we're at 95% accuracy.

Moody workshop desk with laptop, scattered handwritten notes and botanical ingredients, warm amber lighting

Business of AI + Drinks

How We Used AI to Hire Our First Developer

We hired our first developer last week. The whole process, from writing the role spec to evaluating candidates, leaned on AI more than anything we've done before.

Notebook and craft distillery workbench with botanicals, moody cinematic lighting

Why the Drinks Industry Is About to Have Its AI Moment

The drinks industry is years behind on AI adoption. That means there's runway. A producer's perspective on what's happening and why it matters for small makers.