HAUTE PARTNERS : Double Cross Vodka

“I believe that premium vodka is one of the crown jewels of all consumer goods,” he says. “It has high volumes, strong margins, consumers ready and willing to trade up and you don’t need to age the distillate.”

And so, in 2004, Lloyd and Gellner set out on a mission to find the best possible partnership for the brand. With a little help from connections in the U.S. State Department in Slovakia, the two found themselves in the aforementioned little blue car, careening through the mountains on their way to discovering the source of Double Cross.

They liked that the distillery offered large-scale production and is able to meet any kind of consumer demand in the U.S. And, after meeting with top mixologists in the U.S. who tasted and loved the vodka, Lloyd became even more confident in the vodka’s taste and quality.

The last step was coming up with a name. “The naming process was literally more difficult than naming my own son,” he jokes. They chose Double Cross to salute its Slovakian roots and also because the name and symbol offer numerous possibilities for branding and marketing.

“We are just beginning to hit stride and I look forward to the exciting growth that lies ahead for Double Cross,” he says “The brand has a true following – almost cult-like – that is growing virally. We have a business plan and a strategy that is right on target and serves as our road map for achieving success.” When asked for a last comment on what it takes to make it in the vodka world, he says you need to stick to the basics and work hard every day (and night). “We have a great product, smart, passionate and dedicated employees, an ‘infectious’ spirit to succeed and an endless desire to learn from the successes of the past while using modern approaches to brand building,” he says. “We’ll stop at nothing to ensure the success of this brand.”