Building the most beatiful brand in the beverage market with Thorsten Konrad

Summary

In this episode of Dolia Talks, Giovanni Binello talks with Thorsten Konrad, co-founder of ODE, about how a designer’s mindset can disrupt a stagnant aperitif category. Thorsten explains that ODE was born when he and his co-founder, both visual designers with no drinks-industry background, noticed that aperitifs looked and sounded identical, leaning on the same heritage cues and recycled origin stories, while modern consumers cared far more about what’s on the plate than what’s in the glass. After a deep market analysis (including a 160-page deck), they realised there was space for a less artificial, less sugary, craft-led alternative, and when no producers wanted to make it for them, they developed the liquid themselves, testing hundreds of botanicals, learning to articulate flavour, and building the product and brand in parallel. Thorsten argues they had “one chance” to stand out in an overcrowded market, so distinctive packaging and design were existential to launch success, with the bottle deliberately created to be kept rather than thrown away, driving attention on shelf, in social media, and in tastings like ProWein where buyers responded strongly to something genuinely new. He describes ODE as operating in a different lane from mass aperitif brands: higher-priced because it’s made with real hands-on processes and fresh Riesling, and distributed across an unusually broad mix, retail, wine and spirits shops, concept stores, bars, events, and partnerships (including airline business class) discovered largely through trade shows and visibility. While exploring a no/low version, Thorsten stresses technical barriers around stability, aroma extraction and mouthfeel without alcohol, and closes with a contrarian reminder: design matters hugely for differentiation, but long-term success still depends on the liquid, alongside a future he expects to be lower-volume, higher-quality, and more transparent.