Flush With $4.5M Funding, Haus Launches Monthly Wine Subscriptions

Reacting to pushback from millennials frustrated with the ubiquity of expensive, traditional alcoholic drinks at professional and personal gatherings, Helena Price Hambrecht and husband Woody Hambrecht created Haus, a direct-to-consumer aperitifs startup with a membership-based business model.

The married co-founders have so far secured $4.5 million in financing, according to published reports Thursday (Jan. 30). Haus members can choose between three monthly subscriptions, costing $35 to $144.

Their signature drinks, aperitifs, feature 15 percent ABV (alcohol by volume). Wines usually have 11.6 percent alcohol while many hard liquors have up to 45 percent alcohol.

Selling alcohol is already a byzantine, heavily regulated industry, and subscription delivery services have already caused disruption.

The couple learned that distributors can ship directly to consumers if their alcohol product is comprised of grapes and the alcohol content is under 24 percent. They can distribute directly to member homes and build a strategic consumer database with demographics their much larger competitors lack.

“Antiquated liquor laws have stunted innovation in the spirits space since prohibition, despite the fact that today’s drinkers are desperate for something different,” Price Hambrecht told TechCrunch. “Selling directly to the drinker means we can build relationships with our customers, iterate quickly based on their feedback and ultimately create the products they want.”

Coatue, Combine, Dream Machine, Haystack Ventures, Homebrew, Shrug Capital, Resolute Venture Partners, and Work Life Ventures, among others, all contributed to Haus’ initial funding.

It’s currently free to join the Haus subscription club. The couple will advocate for aperitifs as an alternative to wine and liquor drinkers, hoping a trendy beverage and interactive community, online and off, will grow sales.