As the world of alcohol ecommerce continues to shift post-Covid, Flaviar has announced the acquisition of Speakeasy in a cash and stock deal.
Speakeasy’s team will continue to run its agency and fulfillment services, which will fold into Flaviar Checkout and further complement Flaviar’s B2B offerings, the company says, including Flaviar Ads, a digital advertising network, and Flaviar Insights, a data product for the trade.
Founded in 2012, Flaviar runs the consumer marketplaces Flaviar.com and Caskers.com, facilitating nearly a million orders annually through its network of retailers across the world. The company also operates Wine-Searcher, a global leader in beverage alcohol product search. Flaviar For Business offers data insights and advertising options, along with Flaviar Checkout, powering compliant DtC sales and an app for processing alcohol payments for global e-commerce leader, Shopify.
In the past 24 months, Flaviar has also announced acquisitions of Barcart (now Flaviar Checkout) and Wine-Searcher, as well as a partnership with Shopify.
Meanwhile, Speakeasy, founded in 2015, has built a reputation to create elevated e-commerce fulfillment experiences for brands through the company’s order fulfillment model. Supporting more than 250 partners on their platform, the company has also proven its ability to amplify brands online through performance marketing service offerings.
Flaviar co-founder and CEO Jugoslav Petkovic says the merger was a “big step in further cementing our leading position in global BevAlc e-commerce.”
“By combining our offerings under the Flaviar Checkout umbrella, brand partners will no longer be forced to choose between the different routes to market that each company offered in the US until now,” he adds. “While our offerings are global, we have been particularly focused on offering innovative services to BevAlc brands in the US, while championing compliance with the three tier system through our partnerships with distributors and hundreds of retailers in our fulfillment network.”
While Speakeasy started by focusing on helping craft spirits brands, more recently its consulting and agency services have attracted big clients who were looking for a one-stop shop, such as Tesla with their tequila, beer and mezcal projects, WhistlePig, and Constellation.
“E-commerce has room for exponential growth in the BevAlc industry, and we have established ourselves as leaders in this field,” says said Josh Jacobs, co-founder and CEO of Speakeasy Co. “Combined with Flaviar’s business solutions, we will be able to equip our partners with the necessary tools for growth, perfectly complementing our long-term initiatives in scaling direct-to-consumer e-commerce for beverage alcohol brands.”
“We are eager to see the impact of our combined toolsets for the stakeholders of our organizations,” he adds.
The merger adds new capabilities across Flaviar’s existing business divisions. Consumers and brand partners alike will benefit from faster delivery and lower shipping costs immediately, while also gaining access to value-add services like engraving, incorporating brand merch, custom packaging and other ways for brands to create unique experiences for their customers.
“The two companies share a very strong focus on making their clients happy and successful, but furthermore have very similar origin stories, core company values and technology stacks, which is quite unique,” says Michael Bowen, co-founder and COO of Speakeasy. “By joining efforts to provide more innovative solutions and technologies, we will enhance efficiency, drive growth, and ensure that our 600 brand partners stay competitive in the evolving digital landscape.”
“As the definitive market leader in BevAlc e-commerce in the US, with 9-figure annual sales, we look forward to expanding our e-commerce enablement, advertising and data offerings to address hundreds of millions of consumers from more than 120 countries who currently visit our properties, yet aren’t able to place an order” adds Petkovic. “We’re well on our way to accomplish our goal of becoming a multi-billion dollar global BevAlc player.”
