You, me, Friday evenings? - #OCCreatives with Everyday Friday

Interviewed by Zarah Noorani

Photos by Everyday Friday (@fridayev3ryday)

If there was one feeling I would love to have bottled up and saved for a rainy day (and god knows those come and go as they please), it would be the feeling of a Friday evening. Picture this - you've had a shit week at work, whether it's from working loooong hours or just being in a place you almost-hate-definitely-dislike, then comes Friday. Everything in the world feels right, and you can do anything you want to in that moment. That! That unparalleled feeling is exactly what Siddharth and Karan have tried to embody with Everyday Friday. Read on further to see what they're all about!

How did it all begin?

Like all good things, this too was a result of a friendship that went far back. Siddharth and Karan were friends from school and remained connected for years after. The idea was sown from their shared interest in being in the alcohol industry. Distilling and development for Karan and branding and community for Siddharth. 

Back in 2019, they started ideating for and developing an exclusive gin brand to fuel their passions. As time moved on, and not to mention, the dawn of the new normal in March 2020, businesses all over the world had to shift gears and adapt to the way the world looked at the time. Despite working on it throughout the lockdown, their gin brand idea saw a significant change in the way it was being shaped and Karan and Siddharth found themselves on a similar, but new path. The idea of a ready-to-drink cocktail rolled on and captured their interest, and they started giving it some more serious thought. After close to 8 months of ideating, experimenting, fixing deals with vendors, and running through the idea over and over - we got Everyday Friday. 

A major part of Everyday Friday is in the tagline. What was the inspiration behind "Spirit of the Free?"

They knew they wanted to create a product that captured the “Friday feeling” and push it forth as somet

hing that can be felt every single day. As a result of asking questions we’ve all had over the years working 9-5, week after week after week, Siddharth and Karan stuck to the idea of celebrating the feeling we unanimously share on a Friday evening, only… every day! They intended for the brand to reach the masses that feel “free-spirited” and fall into the audience that shares the brand's values. 

Why Goa?

Goa is known to be a haven for people who wish to live a slower, sans fuss, and almost free-er (is that even a word?) life. When I asked Siddharth this question, I could tell instantly that this sentiment was shared and how! Moreover, he discussed the more practical boons of living and running an alcohol business out of Goa. Anybody in the business can testify that Goa has a better, almost easier system that lets one start their alcohol brand with efficiency. These were some little things that led up to making the decision to run Everyday Friday out of Goa that much easier. That, and the fact that Karan was already based in Goa is what cemented the idea of running the business from there even further. 

From ideation to production and now having your product out in the market, is it everything you thought it would be?

“A LOT! Once we started, it was really difficult to find the right manufacturers. We didn’t just want to dump things around and we wanted to have people try our product and engage with it. When we finally found a manufacturer somewhere in South Goa, we knew we could move further with the rest of the plan”

What’s next?

As the token last question of every interview we do, this too was an incredibly intriguing one. With a lot of new and extremely exciting things in the pipeline, Siddharth let me in on some of them - new flavours, introducing sugar-free options, figuring out some mechanical and legal elements, and lastly, something I am looking forward to the most - setting up vodka soda ON TAP!