Just add water - hikers brew up a powdered alcohol solution for tramping
• May 5, 2024
Connor (left), and Brayden (right), creators of The Unnamed Alcohol Project, a powdered alcohol alternative. PHOTO: Connor & Brayden
Two Queenstown hikers have come up with a powdered alcohol product for tramping, gaining viral attention.
After noticing fellow hikers hauling heavy alcoholic drinks, Brayden thought to make a light weight, more packable option for hikers to enjoy a drink.
He enlisted Conor, and together they created their first test product of powdered alcohol.
They were blown away with the responses from their post, and are now beginning to develop flavours.
“We want it to taste good as well…Sure, you can take straight spirits with you, which might be lighter, but if we can make a replacement for an RTD in a powder form that’s going to be more appealing,” says Brayden.
In an attempt to ‘test the waters’, in early April the pair took to TikTok and pitched their idea.
“We thought, give it a go, post the video up and see if anyone wants it, see if people think the idea is a good idea… and then next thing you know we've got a couple of tens of thousands of views and we're now going to figure out how we make it,” he says.
Their original TikTok video has garnered over 200,000 views, and the two say they will continue to post transparently about the product-making process on both their TikTok and Instagram.
However, both with day-jobs, Connor working in marketing, and Brayden, a product manager at a tech company, their money and time to invest in their concept is limited.
“We’ve both got bills to pay and we definitely will need investment, we've got some ideas around how we can do that,” says Brayden.
Connor adds: “We're kind of into that crossroads now, where tens of dollars have turned to hundreds of dollars and then soon, they’ll turn to thousands.”
Their next step is developing flavours, and then onto manufacturing, which will need investment, he says.
“We’d love to get a product out on the market by next summer."
The Department of Conservation did not want to comment on the product and the regulations associated with it.
However, there are no specific rules on regulations for alcohol in Department of Conservation Huts, with the only rules on the Hut users code with the most relevant asking users to be considerate of others.
The Drug Foundation website says powdered alcohol has never been introduced to the New Zealand market but has been launched overseas with little success.
One US company faced a revoked approval for its questionable intentions with the product.
Conor and Brayden say they aim for a different approach and purpose with theirs.
