At the very beginning of our DORST adventure, we contacted Lino and Els from Café Ventura. We wanted to get them onboard with our new venture and so, we invited them to our (very first) office.
Lino: “I was invited to a tasting session at DORST where the cocktails were going to be introduced to be introduced. Their office was still at the Nederkouter in Ghent at the time. The entire DORST team was there and it was a very educational afternoon. Although I’m not really an extreme cocktail drinker myself, I can tell when something is too bitter or too sweet and everything tasted great.”
So, the flavour was no problem, but DORST had just barely started at that time, so it was important to clearly explain our brand and the concept of cocktails on tap.
Lino: “They told me their whole story and their vision and it was not difficult for them to convince me. I think we were the first café client. I thought it was a wonderful service and to me, the human aspect is really important. If that’s a hundred percent, I know it will be a great collaboration. They lent us a dispensing unit and it took some getting used to at first, but everything was always very spontaneous and pleasant and every problem was solved.”
Els was convinced too and felt that DORST fit in well with the Café Ventura picture: “The café is really an extension of who we are. We run it with heart and soul and it is important to us to use things that come from Ghent or that we make ourselves. That’s why it made a lot of sense for us to sell DORST. It was just a good fit with the concept of Café Ventura,” she tells us.
For Café Ventura, the biggest advantage of DORST is the practical aspect. Before we started collaborating with them, they didn’t even serve cocktails yet.
Lino: “We simply didn’t have time for cocktails. DORST solved that by coming up with a way you can make cocktails quickly and easily. The price-quality ratio is great. The biggest advantage of DORST, however, is that you can sell a lot of drinks when they’re on tap. Els shares that opinion: “The advantage is really that it is very fast; it’s literally pour and serve. No complicated actions required. Another very big advantage is that the cocktails always taste great. The quality and the taste are consistent, so there are never any mistakes.”
The speed of DORST cocktails is undoubtedly a big advantage for Café Ventura. Because our cocktails are ready-to-serve, expertise in making a good cocktail is no longer required.
Lino: “If you’re behind the bar at our café and you suddenly had to make a cocktail, with the right amounts and various drinks, it would just be impossible. I’m a hundred percent sure that if we had to do it manually, we would lose a quarter of the quality in the chaos and the rush compared to cocktails on tap, which are always the same in terms of flavour.”
In short, our cocktails are of great benefit to the bar staff, especially during the busy times. Plus, Café Ventura often hires students.
Lino: “This is a very small place and sometime there are a hundred people in here and outside, and a lot of students work here. A regular bartender would probably be able to make good cocktails, but for our team, DORST cocktails are the ideal solution.”
Lino and Els installed a dispensing unit in Café Ventura a while ago, for two reasons: first of all for the climate benefit and secondly, for the practical aspect of serving the cocktails. Lino: “We got Robinetto to install a dispensing unit at our bar, because it is very practical to have a fixed dispensing unit for the DORST cocktails, but we also dispense water and sparkling water, so it is a benefit for the climate at the same time. We don’t have any water bottles anymore, which is amazing; ten water containers less every week. A dispensing unit is an investment, but it will definitely pay for itself.”
Café Ventura was one of the first businesses to get involved with the DORST story and after working with us for several years, they still rely on us. For Lino and Els, the human aspect of the collaboration plays a big role: “If we notice we want something different, we just call DORST and within a week we’ll have something else to offer our customers. That communication is always really good,” Els tells us.
For Lino it was also great right from the beginning: “My first impression of DORST was just great, purely because we just clicked right away. We’ve always had a great connection and that tends to make me appreciate the product even more. You can see they are active and growing, for example on social media, with their website, etc. That is all positive. Sometimes they will call me and say, ‘Hey, we have something new. Come and taste it!’ I love that. I believe in them and I definitely stand behind the product. If I could, I would invest in it.”
- The option to serve cocktails during very busy times
- Consistent taste & quality
- Great communication and collaboration
