The “lightly boozy vodka soda” business based in Arizona has confidence in its inventory accuracy, reporting data, and QuickBooks integration thanks to Cin7.
Smidge founder Adam O’Connor knows a little something about the alcohol, wine, and spirits industry. He’s worked as a supply chain analyst, commercial finance manager, and region finance manager for an award-winning wine and spirits distributor and an internationally recognized wine producer since 2020. However, in December 2023, he struck out on his own after seeing a window of opportunity.
“I watched the explosion of non-alcohol products—and the industry is continuing to explode—but I saw that there was a gap for ultra-low alcohol products for people who find that the non-alcohol beverages aren’t really doing it,” he explains. “So, I created Smidge because there’s just a smidge of alcohol in it.”
Adam’s tasty vodka seltzer product comes in a 12 oz. can that contains 2.5% alcohol (carbon filtered premium craft distilled 80 proof vodka) by volume, 1 gram of cane sugar, sparking water, and natural flavors. Smidge currently offers three mouthwatering flavors: Blackberry Cucumber, Pineapple Papaya, and Orange Blossom Strawberry.
Smidge’s mission is to encourage moderation and healthy habits, to help others, and to inspire other brands, founders, and companies to follow suit. For Adam, helping others comes in the form of donating 2.5% of his company’s profit to pediatric cancer research.
Popping open a cold can of Smidge for a sip of sparkly goodness is easy but getting it into the hands of more customers? Not so much.
Growing the Smidge brand has been like pushing a rock uphill, says Adam. Even so, Adam and his small team celebrated Smidge’s very first invoice in August 2024, giving them the fizzy confidence they needed to continue raising awareness through demonstrations, attending events, and by word of mouth.
Currently available only in Arizona, Smidge can be found in AJ’s Fine Foods, in Total Wine, and in a few restaurants, bars, hotels, and golf courses. Smidge will also be going into Bashas’ supermarkets across the state of Arizona this summer.
Smidge’s growing presence in the alcohol, wine, and spirits industry is a testament to Adam’s hard work and passion for his low-alcohol product, but he admits there have been a few bumps in the road, including underestimating the importance of cash flow. “When you start out, a lot of the co-manufacturers want an upfront deposit, which means I didn’t have enough cash for operations, payroll, etc.”
His desire to efficiently manage his cash flow had him considering the idea of investing in inventory management software (IMS). After carefully reviewing several options, including HandiFox, Fishbowl Inventory, MRPeasy, and Katana, the QuickBooks syncing bugs, antiquated designs, and inflexible structures left him feeling flat.
“I wanted a robust system,” Adam says. “I needed inventory information at my fingertips, and I needed numbers to be accurate.”
Turns out, there was another IMS he had yet to check out: Cin7.
Several referrals encouraged Adam to give Cin7 a look, and after discovering that it fit the bill, he immediately began the onboarding process with Cin7’s Focused Program, which provides one-on-one virtual onboarding with a Cin7 expert. The decision to go with Cin7 was the right one.
Adam is a self-proclaimed numbers and data guy, especially when it comes to tracking inventory and sales history. With Cin7’s reporting capabilities, he’s been able to significantly reduce his reliance on Excel spreadsheets.
Now, Adam has full control over his inventory, including knowing how much of a specific batch he has and when it was produced, and he can easily facilitate warehouse orders and move product between different facilities. Adam also gives Cin7 high marks for its ease of use and its professional invoices that can be tailored to each client, but he sees Cin7’s seamless integration with QuickBooks as one of the biggest benefits of implementing Cin7.
“I feel extremely confident in how well Cin7 syncs with QuickBooks. If you have an ERP system that isn’t syncing correctly with QuickBooks, you’re doomed,” he declares.
Plus Adam says there are other impressive aspects of Cin7, including its modern interface, advanced capabilities, and customer responsiveness, which includes direct conversations with Cin7 representatives when he has questions or challenges. He’s even received a personal message from Cin7 CEO Ajoy Krishnamoorthy himself. “It shows that customers matter to Cin7.”
As Smidge’s low-ABV, sparkly beverage makes strong inroads into the competitive marketplace, Adam credits Cin7 with taking the stress out of his journey.
Cin7’s all-in-one solution connects critical applications and sales channels, helping businesses like Smidge manage their inventory with precision, integrate with QuickBooks seamlessly, and automate manual processes for essential time savings
“Time is really valuable,” Adam says, “and getting that time back, not having to fumble through spreadsheets or manage everything in different systems that you don't feel confident in, because it's not syncing correctly or it doesn't have the capabilities that you need, is wonderful. And you know that you're not going to grow out of it.”