In the drinks world, there’s a phrase that gets thrown around like gospel:
“narrow and deep.”

Launch in a handful of cool venues. Keep it exclusive. Control the narrative. Let the hype do the heavy lifting.

It sounds smart. Strategic. Sexy, even.

But let’s be honest: it’s a stall tactic dressed up as a brand strategy.

We’ve seen it over and over — brands pouring time, money, and ego into staying “tight,” hoping that premium placement will unlock cult status. But 18 months later? They're stuck. No velocity. No data. No leverage.

At Lateish Drinks, we’re here to say what no one else will:
Narrow and deep is where brands go to quietly flatline.

Scarcity Doesn’t Scale

Founders are being sold the myth that exclusivity creates value. That you should hold back availability to build intrigue.

Sure — in fashion, maybe. But in CPG? Scarcity isn’t a moat. It’s a muzzle.

You can’t grow a drinks brand people can’t find.
You can’t test repeat rate or build regional traction if you’re only stocked in three “cool” venues.
You can’t build a commercial P&L off a 15ml pour in a cocktail only served in a secretive haunt in Shoreditch.

Let’s face it: not all brands need to exist in a London hotel bar.

As brand owners, we should be obsessing over one thing:
Repeat purchase.
That’s the whole game.

Hype Won’t Pay Your Invoices

The “credibility-first” play feels smart — but it rarely pays. A repost from a bartender is not product-market fit. Launching in a beautiful bar means nothing if your reorder rate is dead.

We’ve seen brands drop £30K+ on “halo” launches with no backend plan. No route to scale. No idea if the product resonates outside an M25 post code.

It’s not strategy. It’s theatre.

“A brand only becomes a brand when it’s available, visible, and reordered without your intervention.”
— Every experienced sales director, ever.

Distribution Is the Only Thing That Compounds

Want to know what actually works?

Availability.
Frictionless reordering.
Being in the places people actually shop.
Using data to double down where you’re winning — and move on fast from where you’re not.

Look at any breakout brand. They didn’t win through exclusivity — they won through accessibility, trust, and consistency.

“Brands are built on consistent, boring execution. Not sexy launches.”
— Mark Ritson, Marketing Professor

You don’t need more clout. You need more baskets.

Middle England, Middle America — That’s the Opportunity

Take a look at those “secondary markets.”
Not the hype-driven postcode tribes, but the repeat buyers in Middle England, Middle America — people who buy the same bottle every week, who trust a brand because they see it, taste it, and can rely on it.

They might just be your real tribe.

If you’re building toward scale and profitability — not just Instagram kudos — that’s who you need to win over.

And if you’ve got exit in mind? Let’s be blunt:
Strategics want safe bets. They’re not buying the coolest thing in London.
They’re buying brands with velocity, data, and repeat — the kind of metrics you only get through real distribution.

Yes, Distribution is Slower — But It’s Built to Last

We’re not pretending distribution is an overnight win. It’s not.

It takes real strategy:

• Right accounts, not just more accounts

• Margins that hold at scale

• Repeat rate tracking across regions and retail

But once it’s moving, it moves without you. And that’s the goal, right?

At Lateish Drinks, we work on a retainer model. That means:

• We’re incentivised to grow your brand steadily and profitably — not chase short-term wins.

• You get access to fractional sales infrastructure without the overhead of building it from scratch.

• We help you build a pipeline, not a peak.

Founders: Build for Scale, Not Applause

If your product is good, it deserves to be bought. Regularly. Across postcodes and price points.
Not just admired in one postcode by ten insiders.

Every month you spend chasing bar placement over basket share is a month you're not building a brand.

The truth? You're not in the business of “being discovered.”
You’re in the business of becoming a habit.