The amount of the crowdfunding campaign closed by Drinkme , which had already raised another 280 thousand euros in August 2023, is 580,211 euros. The startup that aims to digitize and automate the Ho.Re.Ca distribution of wine and spirits in Italy has also achieved the fundraising goal thanks to the participation of investors such as Wine Profit and intends to use the capital to enhance the functionality of the proprietary software and scale commercially, opening new warehouses, both nationally and internationally.
The project, born in 2021 in the province of Varese by a group of four founders: Luca Brusa, Fabio Brusa Pasquè, Debora Frascoli and Andrea Marcella, is mainly aimed at hotels, bars, discos, bathing establishments and restaurants, thanks to which it is possible to receive the goods in fast and flexible delivery times, with no minimum order. In addition, the management software designed specifically for the world of distribution is able to support customers in the daily administration of stocks, in the analysis of consumption and in the automation of purchases through integrated algorithms.
In December 2022, in its first year of activity, Drinkme managed to generate a turnover of about 630 thousand euros and thanks to this it was possible to realize many aspects of the project, including the introduction of internal software to digitize the entire supply chain, now the flagship of the project.
In 2023, turnover grew to €1.14 million and, thanks to the steady increase in the number of customers, orders and average order value, break-even was achieved.
Currently, Drinkme has opened five warehouses in Varese, Milan, Seregno, Monza Brianza, Como and Forte dei Marmi, cities in which it intends to strengthen its presence, while aiming to expand in Italy and abroad. The start-up counts among its clients companies of the calibre of the hotel “Le Massif” in Courmayeur and the restaurant chain “All’antico Vinaio”. They also have a partnership with Qualimenti, a food and wine marketplace that connects producers of local artisanal excellence and end consumers.
The software platform
Through the web platform, Drinkme aims to become a single point of contact to halve the time and effort to be dedicated to the management of orders and deliveries by operators in the Ho.Re.Ca world. In fact, the latter can buy the best international wines, spirits and spirits, to which are added products that can be associated with them including ice, cocktail kits, bar equipment and much more, with no minimum order, neither in terms of value nor volume, and with no limit on access to labels. To meet the needs of operators in the sector even more, the platform allows you to receive the goods ordered online on the same day, in three delivery time slots (5.30 pm, 6.30 pm, 7.30 pm).
Drinkme’s software is the startup’s strong point. Thanks to algorithms integrated into the management system itself, it is possible to analyze consumption and automate purchases through an automatic tracking system. To support customers in the day-to-day management of stocks, part of the investment just obtained will be used to complete the development of the application of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology ad hoc for the sector, which will allow to optimize the automation of the inventory management of Ho.Re.Ca operators without the need for any daily manual verification and which will make Drinkme the first startup to launch this technology on the market. Through the RFID reader, which allows you to manage inventory and products in an automated way, it will be possible to easily track all the units entering and leaving the business and which will be labeled by Drinkme during receipt.
Investments will also be made to purchase more inventory, necessary for the growth of business volumes, and to maintain the management software. The transportation management system (TMS) will then be developed, which will optimize delivery times both to customers and inter-company. Drinkme is also evaluating and planning to develop a proprietary app for end customers in order to improve the customer experience and continue its climb towards leadership in the sector.
“We are really excited to be able to announce the closure of the campaign on Mamacrowd. For the whole team it is a confirmation of the great work and commitment of these three years in wanting to create something unique and revolutionary on the market. We have established extraordinary relationships of trust and esteem with customers and suppliers and we want to consolidate the development of our five warehouses, and then expand further,” Fabio Brusa Pasquè, chief technology officer and general manager of Drinkme, said in a statement. This milestone lays a solid foundation to further improve our software and develop new features of our proprietary technology, thanks to which we can provide an unparalleled service on the market and have full control of the supply chain, as well as the expansion of our team. In fact, at the moment we have two open positions, mainly aimed at strengthening the sales network and consolidating commercial relationships”.
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