THE FROTH ATOP a freshly made cappuccino or a newly poured dark beer has untapped potential, according to a company that has established its U.S. headquarters in Rhode Island.
Ripples Ltd. is working hard to lay a claim on those moments before the first sip of a frothy drink with its Ripple Maker, a machine that “prints” custom edible images into beverage foam.
Ripples U.S., the North American division of the Israeli-based Ripples Ltd., settled in March in North Kingstown, but employees were soon catching flights out of town.
“What’s really cool is we’re operating sort of independently in the U.S.,” said Jeb Barnes, Ripples’ North American head of sales and operations.
The company’s U.S. sales team has landed spots for Ripple Makers in Boston and New York City, with international distillery Diageo plc for use on its Guinness brand, and the brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, which uses the machines to top Budweisers and Stella Artois at its global headquarters in New York, Barnes said.
“The whole goal of this is to have a drink without an image on it feel wrong,” he said.
The client list of the company’s U.S. division also includes celebrity Kylie Jenner, who has a Ripple Maker at her company Kylie Cosmetics, Barnes said.
Since settling in Rhode Island, Ripples representatives have handed out image-topped drinks at the Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas and the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, and they’ve appeared on an episode of the reality TV series “Bar Rescue.” More appearances are to come, Barnes said, but he added that the local market will be a priority before the end of the year.
“The focus now this fall and winter will be New England,” he said. “We’re really working on blowing up our backyard.”
The company has machines at Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, but aims to broaden its presence in Rhode Island.
“We should be in Newport; we should be in Narragansett, North Kingstown, Exeter. … The big focus for us is beer and spirits, that means a lot of bars and restaurants in the area,” Barnes said.
Ripples’ images come from a variety of sources, including the company’s Tel Aviv headquarters, content uploaded by individual Ripple Maker owners, and from customers, who by downloading an app can create their own drink-top images.
Ripples’ clients can sell the foam of drinks as ad space, distribute their logos at trade shows, or use drink-top images at weddings and special events. The toppers will last as long as 30 minutes on a thick beer such as a Guinness, and about 10 minutes on a foamy coffee. Future mediums could include cocktails made from egg white and vegan foam made from chickpeas.
Barnes was working at Upserve in Providence when Ripples approached him to head its North American operations, he said. As the company begins to make Rhode Island connections, including a ribbon-cutting with the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, Barnes plans to triple his sales staff to 16 by the end of the year.
“Right now, it’s just finding the right candidates that fit our DNA,” he said.
OWNER: Ripples Ltd.
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Beverage top media
LOCATION: 650 Ten Rod Road, North Kingstown
EMPLOYEES: Five
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2019
ANNUAL SALES: WND
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.
