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Starting their handmade soda business from scratch in their mother’s home kitchen, Johann and Marc See have their eyes on the global stage
When brothers Johann and Marc See were scouring their mum’s cupboards for ingredients to make ginger ale over a decade ago, one wonders if they could have predicted that years later, their craft non-alcoholic beverages would be highly in demand at restaurants, bars, and upscale grocers. The two are not only siblings but business partners in their enterprise called Stanford Shaw—a homegrown brand that began with selling small-batch ginger ale in weekend markets and has now expanded to non-alcoholic butterbeer. Johann and Marc share how they embarked on a journey perfecting their product and growing its following, boldly penetrating a market dominated by commercial brands—a true David-and-Goliath story, so to speak.
Here, they tell us what it takes to make their dreams a reality and to stand out on a shelf full of household names.
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When you were making ginger ale in your mom’s kitchen, what made you think that you should turn the hobby into a business?
We feel it was never a hobby, we planned to create a business from the start. However, it did take a while from starting R&D to the first bottle sold because we only wanted to sell something we were proud of—something truly original and delicious—and would never sell anything that didn’t meet a certain standard taste-wise.
What goes into your R&D?
It starts with sourcing the best ingredients we can find, and experimenting with them, slowly with many iterations. But we also try to find good recipes that already exist and see how we can improve them further and make them our own. Inspiration can come in many forms and can start anywhere!
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Can you share how your business has grown since you started?
Back in 2011, we began concocting our first product, a fresh ginger ale, out of our mother’s home kitchen using cupboard ingredients, and basic kitchen utensils with zero know-how. After a couple of years, in 2013, we eventually joined weekend markets at Salcedo and Legazpi and other food communities located at the heart of Metro Manila, where concessionaires and market-goers are brought together through the love of food and drink. These markets are where we first showcased our brainchild beverage that we hoped would blow the minds of our customers. Happy to say, customers accepted our product. We have since expanded our product line to include non-alcoholic Butterbeer that has found its respective loyal niche in the market as well as expanded distribution to some of the best bars, restaurants, cafes, and speciality shops (mostly centred in Metro Manila but expanding to some key provinces as well). It has really been supported by our lovely and trusting customers, people who have been with us for a long time, through thick and thin, like keeping us alive through a pandemic.
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As a beverage industry insider, how has the local scene changed since you started? What are the trends you have noticed going into 2025?
Over the years, we wouldn’t say it happened overnight, it is much more mainstream for customers to look for something healthy and something locally made by small companies (people are really proud to support speciality-focused, small, local businesses). People are also happy to pay some premium for much better quality. We see this continuing going forward 2025 and beyond.
How do you decide which products to launch?
We do not have a grand strategy or a product roadmap. We listen to customers, we listen to ourselves. We choose the drinks that we can make more delicious, and substantial and [further develop] its positioning, how well can make it stand out in the crowded marketplace. We have to truly believe that we have a better product. If we cannot make it yummier than what exists, what’s the point of producing it? We have had a lot of failed experiments on potential products.
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What are your future plans for Stanford Shaw?
We dream of exporting to countries that already love ginger ale and ginger beer like Japan, Australia, and the UK. We believe our own version can compete on the global stage. Hopefully, we get there.
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Jaclyn Clemente Koppe is a food and lifestyle writer, as well as a consultant to some of the country’s beloved food and beverage brands. Her passion for food and drink is only surpassed by her devotion to her family, most especially to her soulmate, Pepa the poodle.
