Q&A with Melanie Masarin, Founder and CEO of Ghia

Melanie Masarin is the Founder and CEO of Ghia, a spirits-free apéritif. Melanie worked at Goldman Sachs from 2011 to 2014 in the firm's Investment Banking and Merchant Banking Divisions in New York.

You spent childhood summers in the Mediterranean where family members made jugs of homemade limoncello with fresh-picked lemons. Was this experience your inspiration to start Ghia?
Melanie: Those childhood memories were definitely part of my inspiration to start Ghia, but it was on a trip to Milan last year with friends that I began to dream up how I could bring more intention to drinking — in the same way a great meal does. I looked around the table and saw people enjoying amazing food and wanted to bring that same element of togetherness coupled with individuality and spirit to drinking. I told my friends about my vision for the brand, got the needed encouragement and started working on Ghia the minute I got back to New York.

What are apéritifs and Nervines for those not familiar?
Melanie: An apéritif is a class of beverages usually enjoyed before a meal to prepare the palate. It’s a broad category that includes many different styles, but the flavor profile is usually bitter and herbal. A Nervine is a plant remedy that has a beneficial effect on the nervous system – while we didn’t want Ghia to directly alter someone’s mood or serve as a purely functional beverage, we definitely took into account the current stress and anxiety in the world. Our use of lemon balm can help create calmness with every sip.

Why did you decide to make Ghia a spirits-free apéritif?
Melanie: My own health journey was a factor in the creation— I was experiencing stomach pains and, like so many people, I didn’t know why. Both alcohol *and* added sugar are a major trigger for anyone with gut issues, therefore, Ghia has neither. I realized that there was a hole in the market for non-alcoholic beverages, for drinkers and non-drinkers alike, with a bitter profile and minimal sugar – something that wouldn’t make people feel excluded in a social setting. I wanted to create a drink for sipping from dusk until dawn that allowed people to wake up the next morning feeling clear-headed and physically well.

How long did it take you to develop your recipes and where do you source your ingredients?
Melanie: We wanted to make a bitter drink that had the complexity of an alcoholic drink, without the overly sweet and sugary flavor of usual "mocktails.” I love bitters (as many do with the growing popularity of Aperol!) and setting out to get the right flavor, while also being health-conscious was both fun and challenging. We asked ourselves, “How can we make a bitter that tastes like you make it with real plants and herbs picked from your garden?” 37 iterations later, we did it.

Ghia’s ingredients are mindfully sourced and as close to their elemental form as possible with Lemon Balm, Elderflower, Rosemary from the Mediterranean, Gentian Root from Europe, Yuzu from Japan and Riesling grapes, Fig and Acacia from the United States.

Ghia drinkers receive a cocktail book of signature recipes with each purchase. Can you explain more about these drinks and the creation process of the recipes?
Melanie: We worked with Alison St Pierre, who, at the time, was a bartender at one of our all-time favorite restaurants in New York City, King. Alison lent us her foraging and cocktail skills to help create the recipes in our first Ghia Recipe Book. With over 20 years of experience in the industry and a passion for foraging, Alison is the Ghia dream bartender. The recipes in this book are inspired by the Mediterranean, think spritzes and Negronis, with ingredients that are easy to find and techniques that any home bartender can master. There’s a little something for everyone.

Please explain the visual identity of your brand and the sustainable aspects of your packaging?
Melanie: Ghia’s labels and packaging were designed by Willo Perron & Associates. I discovered his work at a concert at Madison Square Garden and was so inspired by the concert production, from lights and color to videography and merchandise, that I knew I had to work with the creative team behind it. Ghia is meant to represent that feeling, when you’re with your friends, listening to really good music and you don’t even need a drink in your hand.

Sustainability is incredibly important to us. We use biodegradable or recyclable materials for our packaging. The shippers are made from 70% recycled content and water-based biodegradable inks and the glass bottles can be upcycled for iced tea or flower vases. We do not use any plastic except for the mandatory seal that keeps the lid secure. That’s just the start for us and we have more sustainability initiatives in the works.

A large part of your mission revolves around people connecting through sharing your product. How has this philosophy changed due to COVID-19?
Melanie: We had big dreams to host our community at a number of events throughout the summer and fall. Now, however, most of our interactions with our customers are digital. With this limitation, we still wanted to find a way to connect directly with our customers so we created a hotline (707-TXT-GHIA) where people can text us to ask for recipes, playlists and share product feedback. It’s exciting for us to see how many people are using the number and really meaningful for us to create that personal connection.

As you have successfully navigated your way in the hospitality and lifestyle sectors, what was one thing you learned at Goldman that helped get you where you are today?
Melanie: Besides learning so much about what makes a healthy business, it’s the attention to detail and care for the customer that makes Goldman Sachs special. I took away that lesson and have tried to apply that learning to everything I’ve done throughout my career, especially with Ghia.