They started by mixing sour plum vodka at home, and now produce 1,800 bottles every month
At every party, people would pull Alexander Cheong aside and ask the same question: can I have a bottle of that?
“That” was his homemade Sour Plum Vodka. Due to alcoholism feeling serious and disconnected from the actual drinking experience, Alexander began mixing his own at social gatherings, focusing on the Southeast Asian flavors he grew up with.
“Alcohol is a social lubricant,” he said. “It’s about making worries and stress clear. We want to embody not taking anything too seriously.”
That philosophy became the basis of Clumzy—a spirit brand he created with two friends, Kenneth Tan and Daniel Lim, with one simple idea: to bottle Southeast Asian flavors with a little kick. Five years later, with only three flavors and no outside investment, the brand has surpassed S$1 million in gross revenue.
We spoke to the founders to find out how kitchen research became a multi-million dollar business.
Starting a brand of spirits from scratch
Clumzy’s origins trace back to 34-year-old Alexander with a natural talent for mixology. Always the life of the party, he rarely enjoyed what he called “cold, strong, and serious alcohol”.
At social gatherings, to save money, he mixed his own cocktails, making his own flavors out of anything he could think of. Ultimately, Alexander is known for his wild juices and experimental punches, but one creation in particular stood out: Sour Plum Vodka that became an instant crowd favorite at every party.
When COVID-19 hit, and social gatherings were limited, the demand for Alexander’s creations didn’t disappear — instead, it grew. Friends and even friends of friends wouldn’t stop asking him to bottle his drinks for family occasions and nights out.
Therefore, Alexander roped in his friend Kenneth to launch Clumzy in early 2021, taking orders through Instagram DMs only. Without any real push, word of mouth spread faster than they could keep up with.
But there was one clear problem: branding.
The product started with a simple label and packaging that didn’t catch the eye. About a month in, they brought in Daniel, an experienced marketer and close friend, as the third co-founder to help transform the product into a proper brand.
Daniel’s entry laid the foundation for Clumzy’s name. He redesigned the labels and packaging—joking that the first bottle looked like a “medicine bottle”—and new photography, website, and e-commerce platform, shaping the brand Clumzy is known for today.
From there, while Daniel handled product and marketing, Alexander and Kenneth focused on business, commercial relations, and operations.
“If it doesn’t happen, we have nothing to go back to”
Clumzy started with just one offering: Sour Plum Vodka. The product is marketed for its versatility—being great on the go, served on the rocks or as a cocktail. Each bottle retails at S$58 with less than 20% alcohol by volume.
At first, the spirit was created by the three in Kenneth’s kitchen, which was full of Cambro containers and bottles. The goods were stored in a small rented space for S$200 a month, which meant that they had to carry the stock back and forth for all the production done at Kenneth’s home.
At the time, they were making about 180 bottles a month—a capacity they quickly outgrew as demand grew beyond what the home setup could support.
In just a few months, Clumzy became a legitimate income earner in addition to their day jobs. That created a real decision point for the co-founders: should they stay comfortable with some pocket money, or risk everything to grow it into a real business?
Working from a home kitchen comes with clear limitations. They can only sell to consumers directly, with B2B opportunities completely off the table outside of a licensed trading platform.
But the development was not trivial. Setting up a proper production facility required tens of thousands of dollars—literally their entire annual income at the time.
If it didn’t work, we had no recourse.
Daniel Lim, founder of Clumzy
Still, they chose to take the risk. The trio obtained a liquor license and established a dedicated production facility, moving from manual preparation to automated blending and bottling processes.
They hosted pop up booths almost every weekend
From the beginning, the founders were prudent in their spending, buying only what was necessary. They started a business with “a few thousand dollars,” which brought in money and paid for itself, and broke even within a year.
Early on, they also committed to building Clumzy by working directly with consumers.
They have registered gangs and hold booths “almost every weekend,” becoming familiar faces at select events such as ArtBox 2023, Boutiques Singapore 2024, and Christmas Atelier 2025, among small gangs in bars and cafes from 2021.
“Demand was very strong,” commented Daniel. “We sold out on the first day of our first Singapore Boutiques in 2022, which lasted two weeks. We did in one day what we used to do in three to four days for other events.”
As Clumzy’s presence on weekend brunches grew, restaurants and bars began to take notice, often after seeing strong demand from customers at events or encountering the brand through word of mouth and social media.
At the same time, another key driver of growth was the way in which the inventors expanded the ways in which customers could find the product. They’ve branched out into events, offering tap services for weddings and indoor events, and experimenting with flexible formats, including slushie versions of their drinks at events.
“Diversifying slushies made sense for us to create a fun drink option for people who might not want to drink alcohol that tastes like alcohol,” Daniel said.
He also added that 65% of their customers are women, which shows how Clumzy is concerned about the number of people who have not been using traditional spirits.
Hitting the S$1M milestone
Today, Clumzy produces about 1,800 bottles of the spirit every month and has grown to a team of eight. Its offerings are available at 11 retail partners, including Pat’s Music Pub and Liquor Store.
The business model currently sees revenue split roughly 70% B2C and 30% B2B. After four years of operation, Clumzy has crossed S$1 million in cumulative revenue by 2025, which is an important milestone for the local spirits brand.
The brand has since expanded its product line to three spirits, with customer feedback playing an important role in shaping its development.
While Sour Plum Vodka developed a dedicated following, it became clear that the polarizing flavor was an acquired taste—some liked it right away, while others needed time to warm to it. This insight led to the development of the product’s second flavor: Chrysanthemum Lychee Gin, designed for those who find the sour plum type too strong.
After persistent calls from customers for a third offering, the trio recently released Coconut Pandan Rum, a creation they feel is essential to Clumzy’s identity as a business inspired by the flavors of Southeast Asia.
To protect the builders
During Clumzy’s first year, several groups approached the founders with offers: equity investment, rebranding under a larger umbrella, or outright acquisition.
Meanwhile, all three founders still have day jobs. This offer sounded really attractive at first—a chance to take the first step without bearing all the risk alone.
But Alex had the foresight to see what they were about to give up: undermining everything they stood for as a small founder-led brand. Thus, they rejected the promises.
“Looking back, some of those gifts really changed us,” Alex said. “I’m glad we trusted our gut in those decisions, and I’m glad we saw our hard work pay off.”
Today, Clumzy is managed by Alexander and Daniel, and Kenneth has taken a back seat in 2024.
The next chapter of the product involves a much expanded distribution. After months of negotiations with NTUC FairPrice, the brand’s spirits will soon hit supermarket shelves, marking its entry into mainstream sales.
Fueled by strong demand in Singapore, international expansion is also imminent. The founders plan to bring Clumzy to Thailand and Australia, driven by interest from Singaporeans abroad who have discovered the brand and want to reach their new home countries.
That said, the team also saw a broader shift in drinking culture, with more consumers getting serious about their alcohol consumption. Although nightlife has declined, overall alcohol consumption remains strong, with more people drinking at home or during daytime social events.
Daniel noted that it’s all about healthy relationships and fun.
“People don’t drink a lot. They’re equally bored. The offerings of alcohol have remained the same for decades. What people are really hungry for is something new and a sense of connection with something they’re familiar with,” explained Daniel.
That feeling of freshness and familiarity is what Clumzy aims to deliver.
- Read more about Clumzy here.
- Read more articles we’ve written about Singapore businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Clumzy
