Melbourne entrepreneur Tania Brocker was intent on finding a niche in the market. Now her elevated ice cubes are a chilled hit at home and abroad.

Back in Australia after 15 years in Hong Kong, former marketer and media buyer Tania Brocker was keen for a new direction and even keener to run her own show.

After attending a string of talks, including a session on selling via Amazon, and a foray into the sustainable bags business, Brocker lit on the idea of creating silicone trays that could be used to produce slow-melting, over-sized ice cubes in unconventional shapes.

That was early 2020 – a highly challenging time for many small business owners but, it turned out, the ideal time to start a business that enabled people to add a little fun and glamour to their drinks at home.

“It wasn’t just ‘drop the ice cubes from the 1980s tray into the drink’,” Brocker says. “I’d pick some mint from my garden and throw in some blueberries. It was a time for me to stop and take a moment, so it had to feel special.”

Smart idea takes shape

By late 2020, Brocker had another option in the freezer to help upgrade her evening at-home beverages, thanks to the launch of her new silicone ice tray venture, DrinksPlinks.

Manufactured in China in small batches, the trays came in four shapes and four letters – G for gin, V for vodka, W for whisky and S for scotch. It wasn’t long before Brocker found a ready market on Amazon in the US and here in Australia where they sell online and in specialty stores for a recommended retail price of $24.95.

“No one had done this before,” Brocker says. “Ice cube trays used to be very homogenous until we created this new sub-category of letters and shapes. Doing that is probably my proudest achievement.”

The A to Z of market development

Four years on, Brocker has the whole alphabet covered, along with a range of shapes – think hearts, stars, hexagons and pyramids.

Trade is brisk. In the peak pre-Christmas sales period, DrinksPlinks shipped a tray every three minutes, contributing to a year-on-year growth rate of more than 80 per cent.

At the same time, Brocker is careful about costs and keen to avoid wastage. Using data analytics, she has been able to identify the most popular letters and has adjusted her manufacturing – and marketing schedules – accordingly.

Recently, the business has also expanded into contract manufacturing, producing customised products for brands, distilleries and corporate events.

“We’ll take someone’s logo or design and turn it into an ice cube tray for them,” Brocker says. “it’s an ongoing growth opportunity for us, and I love the creative aspect which integrates my marketing experience.”

Freezing out the imitators

Starting an international business from scratch has not been without its challenges though.

Brocker has had to contend with the rapid emergence of copycats intent on capturing a chunk of the newly created market segment with lower-priced products.

However, smart marketing and advertising have helped her hold her ground. So has her laser sharp focus on innovation.

“There are always new trends coming out; it’s all about grabbing them fast,” Brocker says.

Having a strong business network has also helped DrinksPlinks to keep moving in the right direction. It costs nothing to build connections with like-minded entrepreneurs, Brocker observes, and when you’re starting out, it’s possibly the smartest thing you can do.

“They’ll be your champions when things get tough and they always do,” she says. “As long as you’re genuine, you’ll get out what you put in.”

Here’s to a bank backing local startups

DrinksPlinks became a NAB customer at the start of its growth journey.

“I had a personal account with NAB, so it was really a matter of seeing if they could help with the business,” Brocker says. “I was surprised how much support I was given. My bankers were very patient and they looked at a range of options for me.”

NAB now provides DrinksPlinks with a range of support, including trade finance, business credit cards and banking facilities.

Partnering with a bank prepared to back entrepreneurs during the all-important early stages has been pivotal to DrinksPlinks’ expansion.

“I was initially concerned about my chances of getting finance – I’m a single parent, I’d run my own business in Hong Kong, and I hadn’t had a salary for a few years,” Brocker says. “But they really understood the vision, listened to what was going on and we took it step by step.”