Q&A with brand maven Steve Grasse

As a longtime ad executive and head of Quaker City Mercantile, Steve Grasse doesn't just market brands; he creates them. Hendrick's Gin? That was his brainchild, as was Sailor Jerry rum, launched after he purchased the estate of the influential Hawaiian tattoo artist Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins. He's also a major shareholder in the Narragansett Beer brand, which was once nearly defunct but is now enjoying a renaissance throughout New England.

The Philadelphia native -- who in his decades-long marketing career has led campaigns for MTV, Puma, Levi's and Mountain Dew -- is now hard at work concocting his newest line of spirits, sold under the brand Art in the Age. The liquors are all inspired by Pennsylvania history, and include root beer-inspired Root, ginger-infused Snap, and the just-launched Rhuby, reminiscent of rhubarb tea.

Where does New Hampshire fit into all this? A couple of years ago, Grasse purchased the historic 72-acre Great Hill Farm in Tamworth -- not far from where he spent summers as a child -- where he has already turned The Store into a modern-day lyceum that hosts lectures and sells mercantile goods.

He also bought the foreclosed-upon, historic Tamworth Inn, which after renovation will house a distillery to create more of his signature spirits, which will be made with locally grown ingredients and inspired by New Hampshire history.

What They Bought: Art in the Age

When Philadelphia adman Steven Grasse talks about his 20 years at the helm of Gyro Worldwide, the successful agency he shuttered in 2008, his assessment is as blunt as you might expect from the man who invented Bikini Bandits, a video series about strippers, guns, and hot rods: “I was the asshole who did the Camel ads,” he says. “At Gyro, we had this ‘I’ll fuck anything that moves’ philosophy.” That all changed in 2008, when he sold Sailor Jerry — the rum brand he created before going on to help develop Hendrick’s Gin — to William Grant & Sons for “more money than I ever made in advertising,” he says. Grasse quickly changed the name of his agency to Quaker City Mercantile and transformed its mission completely. “Now we only work on brands that we create and own or with clients I truly like personally,” he says.

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Philadelphia:Art in the Age

Steven Grasse owns a farm in New Hampshire, and at his boutique he sells antiques he finds in the neighboring towns along with chambray pocket squares and ROOT, a house made liquor.

Hyper-Local Liquor: Tobacco Branding Pioneer Finds Redemption

With a business model that combines sex, drugs and rock n roll with, quote, "cool shit", you'd expect a talk by branding pioneer Steven Grasse to be provocative. But with a professional background in branding cigarettes and sneakers, you might not expect it to be particularly note worthy for TreeHuggers. However, you'd be wrong.

Because what do you do once you've made a fortune selling tobacco? Why, you move on to booze of course. But this is no ordinary booze. In fact, by combining ultra-local (and I do mean ultra-local!), sustainable agriculture with a love for cultural exploration and serious fun, I would argue that it is a beautiful example of where business should be headed. This presentation is worth checking out, whether you drink or not.

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March 16, 2010

Philadelphia location to purchase ROOT:
TOP OF THE HILL SHOP CTR
8705 GERMANTOWN AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA, 19118-2716
Phone: 215.753.4520