ICEF Alum on Russian Forbes 30 Under 30 List
Ilya Vuchenovich, a member of the ICEF class of 2023, has made it onto Forbes 30 Under 30 longlist in category Entrepreneurs. Ilya and his brother Alexander are the founders of Drinksome.
Startups and consulting
In 2021 the Vuchenovich Brothers turned their eye to the promising niche of non-alcoholic beverages as an alternative to strong drinks. Ilya, who worked at Bain and Boston Consulting Group, had the experience as a strategy consultant dealing with food and consumer trend analysis. His brother Alexander was taking his first steps as an entrepreneur: he and his two partners started Vitobox, a personalized vitamins service.
Launching Drinksome
Launching Drinksome required an investment of RUB 3 mln, which the Vuchenovich brothers sourced from their own funds (they later added $100,000 from Vitobox and another RUB 5 million). Drinksome made its first product, an alcohol free gin, in late 2022, expanding its product line to include non-alcoholic aperol, whiskey, rum, and drinks created in collaboration with Lucky Group restaurant group.
Ten-fold growth
In 2024 Drinksome’s profits enjoyed a 10-fold increase, standing at RUB 446 mln. Its output increased to 3 million units per year. The brand now sells in 5,000 outlets including Metro Cash&Carry, X5 Retail Group, Novikov Group, Four Seasons, to name a few. Exporting to nine countries, Drinksome plans to break into the markets of the USA and Europe in 2025 and, according to its own sales statistics, has come out on top on Ozon. The company is currently building a plant in Serbia (estimated to cost RUB 100 mln) and has started an alcohol-free bar in Moscow. The Vuchenovich say they expect their 2025 profit to exceed RUB 1 bln.
