THIS IS BITCHY CLUB. Real, unapologetic, sans bullshit. Bitchy Club is a story about a businesswoman shaking up the food industry with pink cans of rosé with bubbles. Bitchy Club is a story about liquid courage which unites women under pink and red colours. Bitchy Club is the must have accessory for S/S 19 and the rest of your life. It’s a statement, a declaration of freedom and power. This is the story behind it.

“My name is Anja and I’m a 32-year-old girl who can’t buy a bottle of wine at the grocery shop without having to show some ID. But I’m also a graphic designer, specialised in designing packaging for the food industry and a businesswoman who likes to create food brands. The first one I ever created was with my co-founder Matic and it’s called I Like Tofu. And the second one is completely my own, Bitchy Club. Bitchy Club is the first canned wine intended solely for women and their/our moments. We don’t identify as a group of raging feminists who try to excuse their behaviour by saying that they’re done wrong everywhere they go. Rather, we’re a movement that wishes to present the reality of women in the 21st century and speak up about the things women still struggle with even though they shouldn’t in this modern age. Things like equal payment issues, lesser chances of promotion due to pregnancy and the silent acceptance or even approval of sexual harassment are something that should not be present anymore in the year 2019. We need to face facts – women are mostly kind, loving and smell nice. But we’re also ambitious, with our own opinions and beliefs. We make bad decisions, we’re grumpy and we say things without thinking them through. We’re impossible at times and hard to handle. We’ll admit, we have our moments. But men aren’t the only ones to blame for our bad mood and constant need to fight – sometimes it’s women. Instead of sticking together we’re too often each other’s worst enemies.”

“I got the idea for this project from my own business experiences which weren’t always pleasant due to the male factor. I wanted to create a product which would instantly unite women and make them stronger. A rosé with bubbles seemed like the perfect thing, the pink can the perfect format because of all the advantages it has.”

“There are many challenges that come with every new project, no matter what phase you’re in. Now that we’ve finally resolved (hopefully) all issues with production, I’m tackling bureaucracy. Even though my cans have a low level of alcohol, it’s still alcohol. I’ve no issues with sales in Slovenia but because I wish to expand my shop and sell abroad, I sometimes feel like I’m lost in the dark. Not because it takes a lot of work but because it’s hard to find someone who’d tell me what it is that I need to do exactly. Which is a damn shame. Wine is an agricultural product, something Slovenia is famous for and yet there are no shortcuts or clear rules about it in modern ways of business.”

“The first Bitchy Club breakthrough was during my pre-order phase – I managed to sell over 100 cans of wine with only two organic posts on social media channels. It was a test I had to pass in order to see if I should carry out the project or drop it. The second breakthrough was the event I organised with Nika Babić in her Veganika bistro in Ljubljana. We sold out in one hour and a half. I haven’t had the third breakthrough yet but I’m planning it and I hope I can pull it off. To me these breakthroughs are short-term goals through which I get my confirmation that this project is on the right path. They help me with moving forward. All our current goals and plans are short-term. If someone suggested I make a five-year plan I’d start laughing. Through my experiences with past projects I know that things change so rapidly all your plans can go out the window and you need to make new ones. I’ve got an idea on how I want Bitchy Club to look like in the future but what it’s actually going to turn out like is completely dependant on my buyers and their responses. What I want and wish for in this moment is for the women of Slovenia to fall in love with the bubbly Bitchy Club rosé this summer and make it their own.”

“I’m one of those people who don’t beautify the reality of business. I packed away my rose-coloured glasses a long time ago and haven’t put them back on since. If you want to be a business(wo)man, you need to have the balls to do it. And even that doesn’t always help, when you wake up in the middle of the night, seized by panic and check on the numbers at three in the morning just to make sure everything’s okay. All businesses are different of course, but if you want to create something big, you can’t expect to just succeed overnight. I always say that the business lifestyle isn’t for everyone and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some people work really well in teams and are indispensable in them. The only advice I can give to someone who’s thinking about moving in the business direction is to think long and hard if they really want this and what they want from the project and if they’re ready to do anything to see it succeed. I laugh at those motivational quotes that tell you that you can do it if you’re only brave and passionate enough. It won’t cut it. It helps, but not nearly enough. You need a hard-core Google Sheet table, concentration for longer working days, a back-up plan, heaps of knowledge and someone who’s cheering you on from the bleachers to go along with that passion and courage. The passion and courage are what makes it easier to get up in the morning.”

 

You can follow Bitchy Club on Instagram @bitchy.club
and buy the pink cans on their website www.bitchy.club