Ask the Collective

How should you approach negotiating direct purchase agreements with major mixer brands for competitive pricing?

Members recommend going directly to mixer brands rather than through standard distributors when you're looking for volume deals. **Fever Tree** offers "partnership" deals where they negotiate pricing in exchange for marketing tie-ins and exclusivity commitments — they'll commit to using their tonic as your primary mixer. The trade-off is that brands use these agreements as marketing opportunities, so expect some marketing obligations in return for the discounted price. For specific negotiations, members suggest leveraging existing connections within the community — reach out to other founders in the Kindred Collective who own mixer brands, as they can often broker introductions or facilitate discussions. Going direct works best for large orders (e.g. trade shows or significant volume commitments) where you have genuine scale to offer the supplier.