Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Craven and Alexis Smith.
Hi Nicole and Alexis, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
We [Nicole and Alexis] started off as co-workers at a National PR firm eight years ago and have remained friends ever since — bonding over our mutual love of marketing and brand development. Both espresso martini connoisseurs, we saw an opportunity in the lack of our favorite caffeine-infused cocktail in the ready-to-drink (RTD) spirits industry. With nothing on the shelf that compared to our favorite espresso martini, we decided to create our own — considering few RTD cocktail brands are female-founded nor dairy-free, and gluten-free.
We launched Après Hours in August 2022 after two dedicated years of research and development, visiting and vetting production facilities, and sourcing top-tier ingredients. Our canned dairy-free and gluten-free espresso martini arrived in three flavors: Classic, Salted Caramel, and Vanilla. Après Hours was a fast hit in Dallas, selling out the day it hit stores. As espresso martinis continue flying off shelves, we expanded Après Hours’ reach in the Dallas market — partnering with over 200 grocers and boutique liquor stores, including local favorites Berkley’s Market and POGO’s Wine and Spirits plus big-name brands like Total Wine & More, Spec’s and Goody Goody. Now available in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, we’ve sold over 20,000 cases of Après Hours canned espresso martinis in retail locations and launched a successful e-commerce business with shipping to 40 states nationwide.
As Après Hours is a brand focused on creating community, we also collaborate with local hospitality, lifestyle, food and beverage, and fitness brands to host curated events that bring together leaders and tastemakers in Dallas, totaling over 100 pop-ups, collaborations, and partnerships to date. Looking to make a larger impact and give back, we developed the Après Hours Grant Program in January 2023, an initiative that provides funding to aspiring female entrepreneurs by giving a sum of $1,000 to its first female grant winner.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Raising money to get our idea off the ground was not what we expected and one of the greatest challenges we encountered. The reality is that the alcohol industry is male-dominated, and many people didn’t believe two young female entrepreneurs would make it to the production stage. It was simultaneously deflating and motivating, but we believed in our product and mission and pressed on until we found our perfect financial partners.
These initial difficulties made the sudden success and warm reception of Après Hours by Dallas shoppers even sweeter. Our first run sold out the day it hit store shelves. It was a surreal moment for us.
We hope to inspire other women to launch companies of their own. That’s why we’ve established our Après Hours Grant Program to help fund female-founded start-up businesses.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Après Hours is a female-founded, Dallas-based spirits and lifestyle brand offering a lineup of ready-to-drink espresso martinis. Providing the perfect pick-me-up needed to take on the day or night, Après Hours is available in three dairy-and-gluten-free flavors: Classic, Salted Caramel, and Vanilla. As female community leaders who are always on the go, we [Nicole and Alexis] developed a sophisticated yet convenient canned espresso martini cocktail that combines daytime fuel with a wind-down buzz, perfect for any after-hour activity. Joining the 2% of ready-to-drink brands owned by women.
Après Hours also features branded merch as well as a fun’ n flirty after-hours drinking card game Drunk Après Hours, in collaboration with drinking game brand, Drunk in Love. Seeking to inspire a community of like-minded women and create a culture that empowers change, Après Hours motto is ‘shake things up!’, giving back through its quarterly grant program, which provides funding to aspiring female entrepreneurs.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Kristie Ramirez, Cameron Gawley and Devin Odell have been huge mentors and supporters since we first started Après Hours. We firmly believe it’s important to have mentors that genuinely want you to win and will selflessly help you win – just as ours have.
Pricing:
- 12-pack: $55
- Drunk Après Hours Drinking Game: $18
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drinkapreshours.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkapreshours/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkapreshours
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apr%C3%A8s-hours/
Image Credits
Après Hours
