What inspired the creation of Bimble?
Bimble has always been more than a business for me, it was clearly a passion project from the start. Back when I spent my days on a trading floor, there were really only 2 ways to release stress 1) smashing your phone and cursing and 2) going out drinking. While admittedly it was often fun, sleeping under your desk the next morning wasn’t. The idea of developing a drink that could relax you without the nasty side effects was obviously appealing to me, almost a way of giving back. On my 60th birthday I decided to become a first time entrepreneur, and Bimble was born.
Your drinks boast three distinct and delicious flavors. Can you walk us through the process of developing these unique offerings?
We always wanted Bimble to be enjoyed as a standalone mocktail. As an avid beekeeper, it was also part of our mission to use sustainably sourced raw honey as our only sweetener. Our first 2 flavors, Grapefruit Basil Mint and Blueberry Lemon Ginger can be polarizing; you either like citrus or ginger or you don’t. Cucumber Melon Lime became our compromise flavor, a drink for everyone!
My wife and Co-Founder Janet Silverstein is amazing at flavor formulation and combinations, so that’s been a real gift.
It’s great to see Bimble championing sustainable beekeeping and using raw honey. Can you elaborate on this?
In 2013 it hit me; I can’t stare at screens for the rest of my life. So one day in June I came in and quit. I took a couple of years off, and one of the things I did with my time was take up beekeeping. Keep in mind, I had spent my entire adult life living in an apartment in Manhattan, so beekeeping wasn’t exactly an obvious choice for a hobby. If people were thinking I had cracked up by quitting my job, now they were convinced!
Honeybees are fascinating. Learning about them, watching them, understanding their importance. An unexpected benefit was that it brought me in tune with nature. I was constantly aware of what trees and flowers were blooming, and constantly on the lookout for what was going on around me. It also gave me a feeling of being a part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
With all this in mind, how could I launch a CBD drink (Bimble started as CBD only) without also supporting the sustainable beekeeping community!
On the flavor side, raw honey is the secret sauce. I encourage you to get some honey from a farmers market and compare it to the product you bought in Costco. Commercial honey just tastes like sugar, while authentic honey has floral tones that makes it unique.
The pivot from CBD-only drinks, to adding a touch of THC. How has it been received?
Have you ever seen a hockey stick? Just kidding (sort of). Growth has been robust and the post purchase feedback has been awesome. It was great to have a February that didn’t suck, a rarity in the beverage category!
Bimble promotes “Smiling not stoned”. Can you delve deeper into this and how it sets Bimble apart?
From day one Bimble’s mission has been to provide an alternative drink that would allow you to relax without impairment. However, It became clear to us that a large portion of our potential consumers were not realizing enough benefit from a CBD only drink. By adding a mg of Hemp derived THC, we were not only able to introduce a CBD drink that actually works (we maintained the original 25+ mgs of CBD and Cannabinoids in the drink), but were able to finally truly unleash the Entourage Effect in Bimble. Our COA still shows healthy amounts of CBN, CBG and CBC.
For Bimble, since we were coming from zero, adding 1 mg of THC made our drink infinitely better. Contrast that with a drink that generally comes in higher doses but wants to comply with a couple of strict state regulations. Those drinks are almost apologetic for their 1 mg version while Bimble is completely unapologetic.
Here’s a little secret; I havent smoked weed in years. At a truly microdosed 1 mg, it is the perfect entry level drink for cautious but cannacurious consumers.
Your customers love your drinks. Can you describe who’s typically connecting with your brand?
As you may have guessed, we tend to attract an older (more mature?) audience. Prior to our recent relaunch, our largest age demo was 55-64. After adding THC, that has shifted down to 45-54, and the 35-44 category is about even with the oldest class.
Without a doubt we often hear from our customers that they were looking for an alcohol alternative, a drink they are proud to hold in a social setting. A large group are also looking for healthy sleep aids, and drink Bimble at night.
What are you most excited about as Bimble continues to grow and evolve?
On a macro level, we’re most excited about being part of a paradigm shift on how people relieve stress and adopt more holistic approaches to wellness. But hey, let’s not get too serious here. I love sampling Bimble and seeing people’s faces light up when I tell them there’s a mg of THC in it. I love when I’m serving Bimble to friends and after a relatively short amount of time they say ‘I like this feeling!’
Where can consumers easily purchase Bimble?
Right now Bimble is available primarily on our website www.drinkbimble.com
We have been cautious about jumping back into retail, but it feels like that is coming very soon.
Published: March 2024
Enjoy reading our Bimble drink reviews: Bimble Cucumber Melon Lime and Bimble Blueberry Lemon Ginger
