We'll Drink to That!
Inspired by a popular diet, this team of health-conscious entrepreneurs are mixing up the cocktail world.
What: Sugar-free and
low-carb drink mixes
Who: Christopher J. Miller,
Craig Cook, Robert Pfeiffer, Heike Pfeiffer and Kerri Bryant,
co-founders of Low Carb Living
Inc.
Where: Encinitas,
California
When: Started in 1999
It was the renewed popularity of the Atkins diet that inspired
Christopher J. Miller and his partners to start Low Carb Living
Inc. After losing weight on the program, this chiropractor realized
there were few cocktail options for people on low-carb diets, as
nearly everything on the market was made with sugary syrup.
"When I was on the diet, I couldn't drink
margaritas," says Miller, 53. But during a trip to Mexico, he
and his partners started experimenting with flavor combinations and
sugar replacements to come up with a low-sugar alternative to
traditional margarita mixes. Baja Bob's Sugar Free and Low Carb
Bar and Party Mixes was born.
Selling the mixes was a challenge at first--the company started
with powdered mixes that tasted fine, but they weren't moving
off the shelves as fast as their liquid competitors. "People
weren't looking for [powdered versions]," Miller says.
"The liquid version was more recognizable."
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So they found a co-packager to make the mixes. Now the company
sells a full line of drink mixes, including piña coladas,
daiquiris and Bloody Marys.
The Baja Bob's line is so popular with the weight-conscious
set that the makers of the Atkins diet catalog contacted them. Says
Miller, "I have a stack of e-mail from people who are so
grateful we've come up with this idea." And with sales of
about $500,000 in 2002, that gratitude seems to be pouring in.
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