Getting to know the twins behind Double Dutch Drinks
We love innovators and especially when they are twins. The identical twin sisters, Joyce and Raissa, behind the UK-based Double Dutch Drinks are revolutionizing the drinks business with their award-winning drinks mixers. We love the Double Dutch slogan "The perfect twin to your drink".
As fellow twinpreneurs, we have been following their journey since they got started. The twins have been awarded by Forbes 30 under 30 and won several start-up competitions. The Double Dutch Drinks are today available in 22 countries and they're sold in more than 4,500 outlets, including Michelin-star restaurants, luxury hotels such as the Savoy and the Mandarin Oriental, as well as 2,000 supermarkets.
And we are so inspired by their tenacity and the success they are having, and are thrilled to share our interview with them.
In it, we get to know more about the start of their business, how being twins have helped them get where they are and they also share some awesome drink recipes (if you are legal age that is).
Read on to learn more about the Double Dutch twins.
Who are you and what is your product?
We are Joyce and Raissa, the twin sisters behind Double Dutch Drinks. Our company sells a range of soft drinks developed specifically for pairing with higher quality spirits including gin, whiskey, rum, and tequila. Our mixers can be used to mix with spirits or, just in general, to make any drink more exciting.
How did you get started?
We were born in the Netherlands and then later moved to Belgium. Growing up our parents were in the wholesale business and we got exposed to the local distributors and got an understanding of the industry. We early on got interested in learning more and got were built a passion for the spirit industry.
When we moved to London for university, we started experimenting with creating our own business. We entered an entrepreneurship program at the University of London and it was the perfect venue to build and research our idea for high-quality mixers.
What is like to be in business with your twin sister?
We love that we have 100% understanding of each other and that we share in on the highs and lows. It is truly unique and we wouldn't want it any other way.
Do you ever fight?
Haha, yes we do. But often we have to attend to business or join a meeting mid-fight. However, none of our fights last long and we are usually friends within an hour or less.
What are your plans for the future?
We have quite a lot of plans for the future. Currently, we are looking into new places and different regions for our brand. And we are also expanding into more UK retailers. We are also expanding our team and hiring a lot of people.
What do you think people should know about twins?
That the sixth sense thing that everyone talks about is not true. If Raissa is sick, Joyce can't feel it.
And being a twin is 100% more fun, from switching on exams to playing tricks on boyfriends. It is just the best!
Our rapid-fire questions:
- Who is the bossiest?
Raissa
- Who is the messiest?
Raissa
- Who is most active on social media?
Raissa
- Who is the more shy twin?
None of us
- Who is the more adventurous twin?
Raissa
- Lastly, is there an evil twin?
Raissa
Drink recipes courtesy of Double Dutch Drinks:
Holidays in Acapulco
50ml tequila
10ml Campari
15ml lime juice
Top up with Double Dutch Pomegranate&Basil
Italian nights
25ml Mescal
25ml Aperol
Top up with Tonic
Feeling American
50ml bourbon
15ml lemon juice
10ml agave
Top up with Double Dutch Ginger Beer
Thank you, Joyce and Raissa. You guys are such an inspiration! We can't personally wait to the day we can order some tequila tonics in our favorite LA bars mixed with the Double Dutch Indian Tonic Water.
To follow the twin sisters, check out http://www.doubledutchdrinks.com/
We love getting to know to fellow twins and this one is a part of our twin interview series (check out the others, including with the Aladdin twins here and Refinery 29's Lucie Fink and her twin sister Allie here)
Twinning Store was established by twin sisters K&E in July 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Life is too short to not celebrate being a twin. So why not flaunt it? When we couldn't find a way to do so we took matters in own hands and created Twinning Store. We now sell and ship clothing, accessories and gifts to twins and twin parents in over 35 countries around the world. Our goal is to be the number one shop for twins worldwide. Happy shopping!
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