*When you hear about black-owned liquor brands you may first think of Diddy, Jay-Z, Kevin Hart, and the list can go on. But those mentioned are all celebrities and most people wouldn’t look at the spirits industry as one to break into. That isn’t the case for entrepreneur Ricky Miller, who is the CEO and Co-founder of Carbonadi Vodka.
Miller has launched this luxury brand that is holding its own against other popular vodka labels.
I spoke with Miller about his decision to enter an industry where you don’t see many Black leaders outside of celebrities. Before he entered the spirits industry, he dabbled in non-alcoholic beverages until it became his dream to start a luxury alcohol brand.
“I jumped into the vodka world because luxury marketing and building meaningful brands is where my passion is. I felt like the vodka category had the most room for elevation,” said Miller.
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“There are expensive brands out there but they’re not true luxury brands that are meaningful to the culture,” he added.
Most often we see premium alcohol brands marketed to a certain demographic and Black people are often not a part of that demo. Truth be told we should be.
In recent years we’ve seen black men and women step into owning their own version of a luxurious lifestyle without pushback. In my opinion, we’re starting to lose the judgment of viewing someone as bougie because they want to experience the finer things in life. And we are starting to create our own world of luxury. Creating that world seems to be a goal of Miller’s as well.
“I think it’s super important that however, I win in this world the thing that I really want to communicate is that we can be our truest most authentic selves and win. The problem is we get away from that and we try to blend in with what’s happening and what’s being accepted. We blend in and we don’t stand out,” said Miller.
With his background in marketing and branding, he is making sure that Carbonadi Vodka is going to stand out! And you may be thinking: What makes Carbonadi unique? The brand has a unique two-step process when making vodka. One of those steps includes using diamonds.
“First we filter through raw uncut, unpolished black diamonds,” Miller tells me. That process helps extract the impurities a traditional filter can’t extract.
“By doing that it results in an extremely pure clean liquid. What that means is when you taste it, you’re not being smacked in the face with ethanol,” he adds.
For vodka drinkers, you know exactly what he’s talking about. Sometimes that ethanol is the first thing to hit your tongue. I’m intrigued by the smoothness Carbonadi has. That purity will make for the perfect Martini this holiday season. So while you’re out with friends or at the company party, make sure to ask your bartender for Carbonadi Vodka.
As I mentioned before, we don’t see many Black CEOs or founders of spirit brands. I asked Miller how he plans to inspire more people of color to tap into this industry.
“It’s going to be uncomfortable. Most times when I’m in the room presenting, I’m the only person of color in the room. I think the best way to inspire people is to win in the industry and show that it can be done,” he said.
