Alcohol delivery startup seeks $250k
An Auckland startup that claims it will deliver alcohol within the hour is looking to expand its service citywide through a $250,000 crowdfunding campaign.
My Beer Case co-owner Harmeet Sehgal had the idea for the business after his friends ran out of beer during a party and nobody was sober enough to drive to the liquor store.
‘‘We joked about starting an alcohol delivery business, and then the next morning I actually started looking into it. We came across some delivery companies, but no-one delivered fast enough to our area,’’ Sehgal said.
After six months of research and getting a liquor licence, My Beer Case launched with 450 products last September, delivering liquor to the eastern part of Auckland.
Sehgal said the $250,000 would be used to bolster its delivery service by hiring more contractors and delivering across the city.
‘‘In a year or two, we’re hoping to launch in Wellington and Christchurch.’’
My Beer Case has five contracted drivers who deliver between 11am and 9pm, every day. Customers can order online and pay a flat delivery fee of $7.
Sehgal said the products were already paid for, which limited the risk of danger to the drivers.
‘‘We don’t accept cash. Our drivers will give you a call and they never get on the premises.’’
Drivers were also responsible for checking the IDs of customers and could refuse to deliver to intoxicated customers.
If customers were underage or intoxicated they could get a refund for the product, but must pay the $7 fee and a $10 fine.
My Beer Case’s crowdfunding campaign launches next month on Pledge Me. Pledge Me chief executive Anna Guenther said the minimum age to pledge via the platform was 18 years old.