Meet Amy Kvas | Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Kvas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My husband Zac and I had worked in the hospitality industry since we could work. We felt like we knew the industry, what it wanted, what was needed and we basically just wanted to be our own bosses.

A large motivation to start our own business involved wanting to have kids. We knew that hospitality hours were not always the most “family friendly” but also wanted to incorporate the skills we had learnt. We explored a few ideas, but the one concept that remained consistent was that cocktails were “hot” and people wanted to have the ability to make them at home. This concept eventually led us to release our first cocktail syrup, our Ginger Wildflower Simple Syrup, an all natural syrup with a base of local honey, fresh ginger and green tea.

From there, we have continued to release new flavours, leading to a current line up of 7 syrups and 1 garnish.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are Kvas Fine Beverage Co. A Niagara-based cocktail syrup and garnish company, which started in 2018. A husband and wife team, our mission is to allow anyone to have the confidence to make superb cocktails at home.

What sets us apart is that we use a base of honey, maple syrup and/or local fruit. We loved working with local, raw ingredients and use nothing but the real thing, including real vanilla beans in our Old Fashioned Simple Syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice in our Whisky Sour Syrup.

We got to where we are today through the help of small and large businesses. We are primarily a wholesale company, so we appreciate every account we have no matter how big or small.

I wouldn’t say running a business is easy. There has not been a month where I have not learnt something new or have had a new obstacle, but I think having a solid product that brings people joy is what keeps us wanting to learn more and keep going.

What we want the world to know about us and our brand, is that we are as honest as the ingredients on our label. What we want is for people to have fun with cocktails again. Our hope is that our syrups encourage people to do so.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Eat: Breakfast: Incoho Restaurant, Bistro Mirepoix, Coffee/Lunch: The Watering Can Flower Market Dinner: Valley Restaurant

Drink: Too many wineries, breweries and distilleries to list! Do them all!

For Fun: Hit up a hiking trail at Short Hills Provincial Park or the Niagara Glen.

Night: Canview Drive In

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have had the honour to work under several female mentorships throughout the years, most notably Robin Ridesic from The Exchange Brewery and Whitney Rorison from Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers.

Credit and recognition in our business story however has got to go to our family. From day one, our parents/siblings have been there to assist. From helping us batch the syrup, to many full truck unloads, deliveries etc, we can’t thank them enough.

Website: www.kvasfbco.com

Instagram: @kvasfbco

Linkedin: Amy Kvas

Facebook: @kvasbeverage

Image Credits
Nataschia Wielink Monica Carbonell