Focusing on drinks other than the hyped coffee or milk tea, youthpreneur Hakeem Rahimeey was inspired to craft his own take of refreshing mocktails after seeing a Singaporean franchise selling their beverages in the country a few years ago.
When the 28-year-old started his home-based beverage business MixBros in 2015, it was quite challenging for them as mocktails and mojitos are associated with being alcoholic drinks.
The business then slowly gained traction as the refreshing beverage became known, making MixBros’ halal version of mocktails and mojitos among must-haves in the local market.
These non-alcoholic beverages are usually made up of sparkling water, fruit juice, ginger beer, sodas and syrups, among others.
“The idea came from when I saw a franchise wanted to introduce mocktails as their drinks (in Brunei) and so learned about it and got passionate. Sadly the franchise didn’t fall through. So, I asked the bartender to do the drinks and with his blessings, he let me take over,” said Hakeem.
Drinks prepared by the full-time entrepreneur are unique from other existing beverages out there; from mocktails such as ‘The Sling’, their very first concoction made with pineapple with a blend of citrus juice with a hint of pomegranate to mojitos such as peach mango, bringing a tropical taste of mango and peach.
Prior to the second wave of COVID-19 in the country, MixBros was selling directly to customers at a community space in Kiulap under the mentorship of a local business advisor.
Image courtesy of MixBros
However, during their time there, Hakeem realised that it was not easy to run the business physically, but they managed to broaden their clientele and made their first-ever large-scale catering service.
Currently, the business is online-based where purchases can be made via their Instagram @mixbros and orders will be taken during weekends for the following week.
“We can make customised drinks to suit any events. We had some corporate events in the past such as the launch of event space Avenue 41 and Taste of Brunei programme where we got to pair our drinks with custom-made dishes, Redbull’s new drink launch,” added the youthpreneur.
Moreover, the MixBros sees the rise in the demand for their delivery services during the second wave, covering from Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Belait districts with hopes, he added, to also cater to Temburong district.
As for future plans, the business owner said that there is nothing concrete yet that he can share but he has been eyeing to include food in the business.
Being a full-time entrepreneur, Hakeem noted that to make things work, the early stage of doing business is to learn to do everything by himself; from making the products, coming up with recipes, packaging and marketing, enabling him to grow personally and professionally.
“Business is very transparent. The results of your decisions or mistakes you make or hurdles you face will indefinitely shape your character. But what’s important, is to learn to give value and quality and learn from feedback whether it is good or bad. Hard truths are hard to swallow, but it’s a medicine in itself,” he concluded.
This article was first published on 27 November 2021 in our Weekly E-Paper issue 169 |
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
