QIQO 1B

Equity
A hot, natural, energy drink
€225,000
total amount raised
  • Eligible for a tax reduction
This campaign has been closed

DISCLAIMER

Every investment decision must be based on an examination of an exhaustive set of information provided by the entrepreneur on his online profile. Spreds only proceeds to a limited verification of this information and does not control the investment opportunity within this company. Spreds did not verify the extent to which the business plan is deemed realistic and does not intervene with the final Information Note, including the retained maximum valuation. Spreds will align itself with the financial terms negotiated with the co-investor(s).

Description



QIQO is a hot, 100% natural, energy drink containing 0% sugar. QIQO is a high quality blend made from specially selected ingredients giving you a healthy and durable energy boost. No nervousness or jitters and no crash afterwards.

Its main active ingredients are guarana and mate. Natural pomegranate flavouring is added for a fresh and fruity taste.

QIQO has been launched online to learn from consumer feedback. After 9 months we sold over 10,000 QIQO consumptions, with a repurchase rate of >40% (industry benchmark for a succesful innovation is +/- 30%).

QIQO is available online in a 14-pack box that fits in your mailbox. As of December 2017, QIQO will be available in a larger 60-pack box. This new box will be sold to companies via distributors.



Problem



Modern day people tend to work hard, are always connected and time is becoming a scarce resource. To keep performing at the top of their abilities, consumers are turning to functional, energising beverages that provide them with a boost (the fact).

At the same time consumers are becoming more health conscious and desire natural, premium and sustainable products (the wish). The tension to fulfill this wish can be summarised in following consumer observation: “There is no hot, functional alternative to coffee or to cold energy drinks”

Idea


QIQO is a hot, 100% natural, energy drink containing 0% sugar. QIQO is a powder that is disolved in hot water.


With QIQO, we want to help everybody fight the "Afternoon Dip Monster". The Afternoon Dip Monster is a sneaky villain, that creeps up on you and has no mercy. When attacked by the Afternoon Dip Monster , you feel tired, grumpy and you cannot stop yawning. With QIQO, we want to bring positive energy, so now, everybody can beat the Afternoon Dip Monster.

Key ingredients


Guarana is a natural energizer and cognitive stimulant that will give you a prolonged physical and mental boost.The guarana seeds are about the size of a coffee bean, but they contain twice as much caffeine (guaranine). Caffeine and guaranine look the same and have a similar structure. However, the guarana seed is fatty (even in powder form) and not readily water-soluble. Therefore, the body does not absorb it as quickly as caffeine from e.g. coffee. That means the guaranine is released slowly. The energy boost that is experienced from guarana is not like that of coffee or energy drinks: the energy boost is smooth and doesn’t give you “nervousness” or “jitters”.

Mate is an infused drink, made from the dried leaves of a native South American plant. It provides you with healthy nutrients and keeps you energized. Mate is said to offer “the health benefits of tea, the strength of coffee and the euphoria of chocolate” all in one beverage. It contains a number nutrients, amino acids, polyphenols, vitamins (A, C, B, E) and minerals (magnesium, iron, calcium). This makes mate very high in antioxidants: it contains 90% more antioxidants than an average green tea. Further, mate also contains caffeine, theobromine and theophylline. They increase your mental energy, clarity and focus.

Guarna and mate are dried and milled into a powder. To give QIQO a fresh and fruity flavour, we've added natural pomegranate flavouring and a pinch of citric acid and stevia. To increase the solubility we added inuline. The health benefit of inuline is that it stimulate the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria. Inuline is therefore often used as prebiotoc.


Marketing strategy


With QIQO, we want to help people in their daily fight against the Afternoon Dip Monster. The purpose of QIQO is to be the daily source of positive energy. We will claim and own the 'afternoon dip' as the moment of consumption for QIQO.
B2C (box of 14):
- funds will be used to drive traffic via social and SEA to the QIQO webshop
- funnel will be enhanced to optimize the lifetime value to customer acquisition cost ratio (LTV / CAC ratio (target =+3))
- free sampling (potential QIQO'nians) and right moment (afternoon dip) will be used to drive trial
B2B (box of 60):
- The 60-pack QIQO box will be sold via distributors (currently 3 distributors have signed)
- Free sampling to office decision makers
- Incentives for the distributor salesforce

Distribution strategy


B2C/D2C (business to consumer / direct to consumer):
- online sales platform
- QIQO box (14 sachets) delivered directly to the consumer's mailbox (no delivery costs)
B2B / Selling to companies via distributors:
- We sell to big distributors who sell coffee, tea, water, .... to companies
- These distributors have the highest absolute margin on QIQO than any other product from their catalogue
- We incentivise distributor salesforce to sell QIQO to companies
- Via our own salesforce, we contact stakeholders in companies, to convince them to order QIQO via their distributor

Internationalisation strategy


- As of 2019, we foresee international expansion with both B2C (online) and B2B (distributors)
- Focus on big metropolitan cities with a high concentration of progressive companies (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, London,...)

Intellectual Property


With the current QIQO formulation, no patents are being infringed. At a later stage, QIQO could be patented for its exact composition leading to good solubility. From an intellectual point of view, the patent could still be surpassed by altering the formulation. Hence, patenting in food & beverages is not very common. Our meetings with IP experts showed that while filing a patent at this stage would not be useful, filing for a trademark is. QIQO is a protected brand name in Benelux.

Major contracts


400 online consumers
3 distributors agreed to sell QIQO to companies as of December 2017

Main partners


  • LaboSmeets NV: the partner responsible for production and primary packaging of QIQO https://www.labosmeets.be/en/welcome/