Bee Lemonade founders admit ‘mistake’ after Dunedin flat party alcohol breach

Bee Lemonade founders Edward Eaton (left) and Wilbur Morrison have been accused of breaching the Sales and Supply of Alcohol Act. Photo / Ben Tomsett

The founders of an alcoholic lemonade company have owned up to a “regrettable mistake” after a sponsorship of student flat party went wrong.

Bee Lemonade founders Edward Eaton and Wilbur Morrison, both 26, appeared before the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority this morning for allegedly breaching the Sales and Supply of Alcohol Act.

Police prosecuted the pair after discovering their company gave 350 litres of free alcohol – 280 x 1.25-litre bottles – to a student flat during O-Week.

If found to have breached the act, the company may face a fine of up to $10,000 and a licence suspension of up to seven days.

In February this year, students at a Dunedin flat reached out to alcohol company Bee Lemonade, asking for sponsorship for a flat party they were anticipating would attract about 1000 people, the pair told the Herald.

Alcohol company Bee Lemonade gave 350 litres of free booze to a flat party on Castle St, Dunedin, in February this year.

As both were relatively new to the business world, they said they believed they were participating in a typical promotional event, they said.

“We didn’t have the right processes in place to assess the situation properly,” Eaton said.

They said they believed alcohol brand sponsorships in the student scene were a regular occurence, having recently been students themselves.

“We didn’t think we were reinventing the wheel,” Eaton said.

The pair agreed to sponsor the flat party and calculated how much alcohol would be supplied in bottles to ensure each guest received one standard drink.

They said they failed to consider the overall volume of free alcohol provided.

National alcohol harm prevention manager Inspector Ian Paulin says “irresponsible promotion” of alcohol to a vulnerable community will not be tolerated. Photo / Otago Daily Times/Gregor Richardson

The duo said that, in hindsight, this was a “regrettable mistake” and an approach that lacked proper foresight and structure.

In July, national alcohol harm prevention manager Inspector Ian Paulin said police became aware of the potential breach of the act when officers patrolling North Dunedin, an area with many student flats, observed first-hand the large supply of alcohol.

“[This] led to us conducting further inquiries and gathering key evidence to initiate the investigation.

“Companies that wish to supply alcohol outside of the regulations are liable for prosecution. Police will continue working with partners to foster a culture of responsible drinking to reduce alcohol-related incidents and social harm,” he said.

He said the prosecution would send a clear message to alcohol companies that “irresponsible promotion” of alcohol to a vulnerable community, in particular during times such as O Week, would not be tolerated.

Eaton said they realised the severity of their actions the morning after the event when he saw his own photo in the local paper.

“That was a sobering moment.”

The pair were contacted by police that afternoon, as well as multiple media outlets.

The fallout from the event hit the business financially as well.

They immediately pulled back on marketing and sponsorship efforts until they could develop more responsible, safety-conscious strategies.

“It’s had a massive impact on the bottom line,” Eaton said.

The pair agreed they would need to establish better safeguards and take responsibility for the outcomes.

“It’s made us better individuals and business people,” Morrison said.

The two lifelong friends said they started brewing honey mead as a hobby, later turning it into a full-fledged business in 2020.

The authority will deliver its decision in the coming weeks.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin

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