Not long ago, entrepreneur Dustin Leonard was living in his girlfriend’s father’s garage to make ends meet while hatching a plan to disrupt a notoriously competitive industry with a big idea.
Leonard, who rose to fame as a finalist for CLEO’s Bachelor of the Year, founded the Little Ripples premium wine logo in mid-2019 and has made impressive strides quickly.
Then, months later, Covid hit and “threw up a hurdle. “
Little Ripples never aimed to make Mr. Leonard rich. It is a social enterprise that provides clean water to people living in disadvantaged communities in Africa and India.
Each bottle sold inexpensive water for one person for a year, and more than 500,000 more people received support; However, good luck has not been easy.
As he got Little Ripples off the ground, the realities of running a new company collided with the global disruptions caused by the pandemic and put a normal strain on M’s finances. Leonard.
“He didn’t pay me any salary and I lived on two credit cards, which I almost had exhausted,” he recalls.
“In those early years, I even lived for a while in my girlfriend’s father’s garage to save money. “
The Little Ripples struck a chord with Australian consumers.
This has also contributed to the fact that the wine variety itself is world-class, overseen by a team of award-winning winemakers, guided by famed expert Paul Henry.
The diversity of products has expanded and now includes Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé, Moscato, Sparkling and Prosecco.
Two low-alcohol wines were launched: a Pinot Grigio and a low-calorie, medium-alcohol sparkling wine.
Over the course of 2023, Leonard ran his social media from the back of a pickup truck while driving around Australia.
In addition to getting his hands on the country’s most impressive herbal wonders, he signed several major deals that made Little Ripples an interesting player in the ultra-competitive wine industry.
“In the last year, we’ve doubled our sales and doubled our donations,” Mr. Leonard said.
“A giant component of our expansion is due to partnerships with Accor hotels, for which we are now suppliers. “
Leonard has also partnered with German airlines Lufthansa and Discover Airways, with Little Ripples wines on all of their services.
And the organization works with Pernod Ricard Winemakers, the world’s second-largest alcohol company.
“Now I’m able to earn a modest salary, which means I don’t survive on my credit cards anymore,” Leonard says.
“I just got back from my trip in Sydney too, but I still live in the van at the moment because it takes a long time to find a rental place. I imagine it would take a few weeks at most, but that’s the way it is. It’s been a month and we’re still looking.
Fortunately, the post-Covid world empowers you to run Little Ripples from virtually anywhere.
And things haven’t slowed down despite what’s going on in M’s remote office. Leonard in his van.
“We were in talks with an investor and an alcohol retailer, which is very exciting. “
But its biggest achievement is the recent milestone of Little Ripples: offering more than 500,000 people a year’s worth of clean water.
Sales financing used to dig 50 wells. Little Ripples is partnering with BridgIT Water Charity Foundation, led through Wendy Tisdell OAM.
BridgIT identifies communities in need and budgets for the framing or repair of water wells, while also developing a ten-year plan for the facilities.
“Our goal is to provide clean water to five million people, that’s 10 percent of them,” Leonard said.
Lack of clean water is the leading cause of illness and death in poor communities.
Originally as a wine brand for entrepreneurs, it finances water for 500,000 people
Qantas executives knew the airline’s systems could temporarily notify consumers about canceled flights, leading to the years-long phantom fiasco.
The co-founder of a high-end medical hash company, evicted from his offices in a suburb, speaks out.