AF founder Lisa King. Photo / Jed Bradley
From Eat My Lunch to AF Drinks, Lisa King has gone from strength to strength, managing to expand to a national American retailer and get hitched in the last year.
How would you describe 2023 for your business?
This year has been incredibly exciting for AF Drinks. We launched into the United States with a national retailer (Sprouts) in 400 stores and on Amazon. The response was phenomenal and in the first five weeks, we were outselling Heineken 0 per cent.
In just seven months, we have gained great distribution with more set for next year. This will keep our small team of eight based in NZ extremely busy.
What was the most interesting news story of 2023?
One of the most interesting news stories for me and within the beverages world was the Bud Light controversy, leading to the boycott of an entrenched American brand.
It was fascinating that by trying to be inclusive, Bud Light received such backlash, particularly in a time when diversity and inclusion is part of every corporate’s mandate.
This can happen to anyone and especially for a New Zealand brand trying to enter the US market, understanding our consumers and the cultural context that we are operating in is so important.
What’s the worst mistake you have made in business?
I’ve made so many mistakes in business and I am sure I will keep making them, especially as we venture into new markets.
One of the biggest learnings made is through hiring the right staff for the job. I like to think I’m a good judge of character but ultimately you can’t interview for attitude and I’ve learnt that having the right attitude is everything.
What would you rate as your greatest success?
One of my greatest successes was to make the decision to leave the corporate world and start my own business (Eat My Lunch).
It takes a lot of courage to take that leap of faith and to back yourself. Through the process of starting two businesses now, I’ve learnt so much about myself and what I’m capable of, which is far more than what I would have believed.
I’ve learnt about people, relationships, what’s important and what is not. I feel I have found my place in the world and I’m so grateful to be doing what I do, with the people I’m doing it with.
Where and how are you holidaying this summer?
I’ve been travelling so much this year for work and personal (I married my partner in August in Singapore), that I’m so relieved to be staying in NZ for summer.
I am looking forward to spending days at home, catching up on life admin and catching up with friends and family.
I definitely feel like I need a little rest before diving into what is going to be a massive 2024.
What would you recommend as a good book to read over summer?
I don’t have a lot of time to read “proper” books, but I love reading cookbooks. They are so beautiful and give me a lot of inspiration for my passion for cooking.
I can’t wait to spend summer browsing through my latest cookbook, Recipe Tin Eats Cookbook: Dinner. I’ve been following the chef Nagi Maheshi for some time so I’m looking forward to trying out more of her recipes over the holidays.
Alka Prasad is an Auckland-based business reporter covering small business and retail.