We chat with Ellen Weigall, founder of BABY Pink Gin, about how the drive to embrace femininity and empower women birthed Australia's only 100% female owned spirits company.
What inspired you to start BABY Pink Gin, and how does it reflect your vision of femininity and empowerment?
Ellen: Back in 2018, I was a 23 year old Bachelor of Comms graduate with a fascination and passion for customer segmentation, messaging and marketing. I was also, you guessed it, a complete lover of all things gin. In an attempt to be cultured and move away from drinking cruisers and vodka redbulls, I started to educate my palette with gin, and fell in love with the nuances of the different botanicals, the stories behind them, and the art of mixing a great G&T.
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But something felt off. Although gin is traditionally a ‘woman’s drink’ I didn’t feel embraced by the messaging or marketing behind these products. In fact, it felt very blokey, especially in the premium segment of gins.
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So I began to do my research and open my eyes. Low and behold, I noticed it wasn’t just the gin category, it was almost every other category of alcohol too. Seemly the marketing industry had convinced us that if a product is branded to look ‘girly’ ‘pink’ or ‘feminine’ - it belongs in the cheap section of the bottle shop, with the other sugary, sweet and low quality products. BUT if a product is marketed to look particularly masculine, then this indicates that I must be premium, expensive, and worthy of awards and accolades.
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I thought I was making all of this up in my head, my young, hyper feminist mind must be overreacting. but the more I did research, the worse it got. In fact I noticed this phenomenon in almost every other industry other than beauty.
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So I thought, when it comes to marketing, why does the colour pink indicate these things? Is it possible to make a PREMIUM pink gin that would be taken seriously?
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Not to mention, the people behind these brands, both locally and internationally were over 95% male, who are clearly too scared to make a serious pink gin, or don’t value the huge potential market of women who want something like this.
I felt like I’d stumbled across this niche, untapped market in a billion dollar industry, so i had to take my chance.
Can you share some unique ways in which BABY Pink Gin enhances self-care rituals and indulgent experiences?
Ellen: We love how BABY Pink Gin brings people together and allows them to connect. We find that most of our customers share their BABY Pink Gin with a group of friends at home, and a lot of our customers buy BABY Pink Gin as a gift.
How do you envision women incorporating BABY Pink Gin into their self-care routines?
Ellen: We love the idea of our customers getting together at home or before a night out to share in the act of making yourself a delicious G&T or even a cocktail right at home. We love to educate our customers on at home recipes, and best practices for gin cocktails.
What role do you see BABY Pink Gin playing in fostering connections and empowerment among women?
Ellen: We love knowing that our story continues to inspire other women to chase their dreams and start their own business. We love nurturing this inspiration by hosting Female Founders Festival once a year, where we host over 30 other female founded startup businesses at our open to public market. We love the act of sharing our experiences, offering advice, and connecting with other founders.
From your perspective, how does enjoying a glass of BABY Pink Gin contribute to a sense of relaxation, rejuvenation, and femininity?
Ellen: BABY is all about embracing your femininity, but not compromising on quality. BABY Pink Gin allows you to enjoy a delicious, local, small batch gin whilst also feeling feminine and powerful. Enjoy!
Shop BABY Pink Gin HERE.