Remember the feeling of a really good meal? Maybe it was a warm night, and lights were strung up outside over a table dotted with close friends and shared plates. Perhaps it took place indoors, and candles illuminated a buffet of flavors that your family has been enjoying for ages. Whatever that memory is for you, the feeling of it is something Mélanie Masarin cherishes, too.
After working at Goldman Sachs and Glossier—which included years of hosting casual and professional events over food-filled tables—Masarin was looking for a new challenge. She sought to bottle the comfort that comes from a really good meal. But to her, the only thing missing was the idea that there could also be a really good non-alcoholic beverage to go with it. Masarin knew people were used to seeing wines next to home-cooked ingredients, or various cocktails at a must-try restaurant. But just because this imagery is easy to conjure for some doesn’t mean that these details speak for all. She didn’t know of a delicious, healthy, and non-alcoholic option that could shake up people’s imaginations, but she was ready to make one.
When Masarin told her friends about this idea, they loved it. So she got to work, and launched Ghia as a spirit-free aperitif designed to change the way socializing happens over a really good meal. Made of botanical extracts and inspired by the timeless tastes of the Mediterannean, Ghia is the type of drink that promises a good time—without an asterisk. And while hosting a crowd may be on hold for now, Masarin is already seeing how Ghia is changing the components of a really good meal for the better, whether it’s being poured for a pod or for one. As it turns out, memorable meals are even easier to remember when Ghia is on the table.
Your non-alcoholic apéritif is taking over our Instagram feed. What was the lightbulb moment?
I have always loved bringing people together, hosting dinner parties, and creating safe spaces that spark meaningful conversations. Over the last few years, I realized that alcohol wasn’t for me, but there weren’t many non-alcoholic alternatives on the market that were easily adaptable to people with varying lifestyles.
(Cont’d…)
I went to Milan last year with friends and began to dream up how I could bring more intention to drinking in the same way a great meal does. I looked around the table and saw people enjoying amazing food on each of their plates, and I wanted to bring that same element of togetherness, coupled with individuality and spirit, to drinking culture. I told my friends about what I envisioned for the brand, got the encouragement I needed, and started working on Ghia the minute I got back to New York.
Entrepreneurship is all about taking calculated risks—What’s the most pivotal risk you’ve taken, and how did it change your path?
I would definitely say the biggest risk I’ve taken is launching Ghia, especially in the midst of the pandemic. We had originally planned to launch in restaurants starting in April, so COVID-19 hugely affected our original launch strategy. We had to postpone the launch by a few months as a result. Because of the virus, we had to overcome what seemed like endless hurdles with sourcing, production, packaging, design, and photography, which pushed back our timeline a number of times. We thought long and hard about waiting for the pandemic to subside before launching Ghia, but instead, we used the pause to answer tough questions like: Is this a product that people would benefit from right now? Is this what I want to be doing with my life? The answer was yes. More than ever, our mission to help people make stronger connections and take better care of themselves holds true.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
Through the challenges of launching Ghia in the pandemic, we had to ask ourselves, “How can we reach our goals in new ways that we hadn’t previously thought of?” We needed to pivot quickly and focus the majority of our efforts on direct-to-consumer sales. However, restaurants are still an important part of our distribution strategy, and our list of partners is still growing.
From the very beginning, Ghia has been all about meaningful gatherings and inclusivity: We describe the brand as the person at the party who is the most welcoming. We originally had big dreams to host our community at a number of events throughout the summer and fall. Of course, most of our interactions with our customers are digital for now—save for a little socially-distanced Spritz window in NYC that we did this summer.
Even with the physical limitations, we still wanted to find a way to connect directly with our customers, so we created a hotline (707-TXT-GHIA) where people can text us to ask for recipes, playlists, and share product feedback. It’s been really exciting for us to see how many people are using the number, and really meaningful for us to create a personal connection in a safe way.
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams?
I’ve always been very ambitious, but confidence has always been a huge challenge for me. I often doubt myself when I don’t have all the answers, which is very often. There’s a natural tendency when you’re starting out to meet with a lot of other founders and understand what works for their business. But I realized early on that this practice was throwing me off. What works for someone else’s business rarely applies to my own. Instead, what has worked really well for me is building a very small circle of mentors and founder friends that really trust each other. It’s a group I can be vulnerable with to share my doubts and challenges.
For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to), what advice do you have?
My biggest piece of advice to anyone thinking about starting their own business is to be steadfast in your goal but flexible on how you achieve it. Launching any type of business takes an incredible amount of time and energy, and it also takes a lot of problem-solving skills. It’s really important to use your creativity when things are not going to plan, and to remember that so much is outside of our control.
What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new entrepreneur and why?
It is really important to ease into the fundraising process thoughtfully. My biggest piece of advice is to bring people on board that really understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. They should truly believe in the mission of your brand, and why it should exist in the world. I approached fundraising for Ghia with the same intention that is behind the product itself. Each advisor and investor that we’ve brought on at this early stage is either a friend of the teams’ or a friend-of-a-friend who understands our brand mission and exhibits the same passion for Ghia that I do.
It’s easy to celebrate the wins, but how do you handle failure or when something hasn’t worked out for you?
Everyone fails at one point or another. It’s an inevitable part of growth, and ultimately, of success. I think that how we handle our failures speaks volumes to who we are as people. It’s critical to be honest with yourself (and others) if and when you’ve made a mistake. Give yourself a little bit of grace, and use that moment to make yourself better—maybe this can teach you how to be more productive, vulnerable, or organized. I try to never spend too much time dwelling in the “what if,” and instead I put my energy into reorienting toward my goals.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? How can they achieve the same success you've experienced?
First and foremost, I think the best part about success is that it looks unique for everyone. My biggest piece of advice for other entrepreneurs is to define what success looks like for you: What is a problem you see that you want to solve? How do you see what you’re doing as the solution? I think that by answering these fundamental questions first, you get to decide what success means in your book. For me, I knew I wanted to create a non-alcoholic drink that brings people together the same way a meal does. Thirty-seven iterations later, we landed on Ghia and brought it to market in a way that focused on community and togetherness—which was my original goal. Always stick to your gut, work hard, and success will come.
What's the one productivity tip or work hack that truly changed your life?
I sought to understand the times in the day that I am most productive, and found that I do my best “thinking” work before 11 a.m. So I try to keep that time free of meetings a few times a week. I use this time to keep pushing the business and strategy forward, even if the rest of the day is hectic.
What is the #1 book you always recommend and why?
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. It’s incredibly reassuring to know that for its first 10 years, Nike almost didn’t make payroll and ran out of money many times over. It reinforces the idea that good things take time.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey—with the knowledge you have now—what advice would you give yourself?
To take better care of myself. It really is a marathon, but I made the mistake of burning myself out and putting my health in danger a few times. Now I’m incredibly mindful of how that lesson plays into the culture of Ghia. I’m transparent about these experiences and try to really open up conversations about mental and physical health with my team and partners.
Fill in the blanks:
My perfect day begins with…
A good night’s sleep, a visit to my garden, and a mug of hot water with lemon.
The three qualities that got me to where I am today are…
I’m scrappy, willing to be wrong, and full of grit.
If there were more hours in the day, I would…
Learn an instrument and a new language.
To be successful, you need to…
Be focused and purposeful.
The change I’d like to see in my industry is…
The de-stigmatization of sobriety.
