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From owning a bar to launching a liquor store online

Manly SpiritsAfter seven years as a bar owner, Scott McCarthy, has decided to shift to online retail with the newly-launched Harvest Australian Liquor. His passion for the Australian spirits industry has led him to this new venture.

“Our goal is to showcase to the world what Australian Distilleries have to offer. If we work with distilleries to educate consumers on the passion that Australian Distillers have for their products it will lead to consumers buying more Australian Products and creating more jobs within the Industry,” McCarthy told Inside FMCG.

Owning a bar is a different ball game from the online liquor business but this didn’t deter him from pursuing something a bit out of his comfort zone. McCarthy said having a wide experience in owning a bar for several years helped him initially as he worked his way around the emerging liquor industry.

“[My experience] helped with developing relationships with the distillers and consumers that wanted to sample different spirits that were normally not on the back bars. Bar staff have lots of training with corporate company products. Consumers have a lack of education so through our online platform we want to educate consumers by the way of simple conversation and eventually masterclasses and events,” said McCarthy.

Harvest Australian Liquor works directly with different distilleries and suppliers when it comes to selecting the best liquors they can sell online to their consumers. McCarthy said they also attend events around the country to source out possible new products. He added that each product is unique and has its own story.

“Since launching in July sales are increasing every week, we recently had 950 users use the site in one day, which displays consumers want a place to purchase all their Australian Spirits,”  he said.

The business owner said he doesn’t see himself competing with other liquor stores such as Vinomofo or Dan Murphy’s. Instead of being a competitor, he views his new online liquor business collaborating with others.

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