Meet the Mumma Behind NICE Wine - Lucy Busk

We have a special treat in the lead up to Mother's Day this March and will be giving every subscriber and every order a complimentary can of NICE wine - if you want one Mumma's, no pressure from us and obviously we wouldn't dream of sending it to anyone with a little one on the way....just to clear the admin up ;-)

So, who better to tell us all about NICE than Lucy, the co-founder who's actually expecting her first baby.

OM - Lucy, tell us all about NICE, what made you start the brand and why?

We launched in 2019 and call ourselves a future wine company with a clear mission to change the way the world wines.  We have wine in cans, wine in boxes and wine on tap.  To us the wine industry didn't make sense.  We've all at some point been made to feel a bit 'stupid' by wine, whether it's being handed the wine menu in a restaurant and not understanding anything so you panic pick the Pinot Grigio or being around someone who's describing a wine by it's legs, body and it's structure and you really have no clue what that means. it just felt that there was a massive opportunity to launch a wine business that actually talked to the consumer, not at them.  Much less intimidation, much less seriousness, wanting to have a lot more fun but also wanting to provide a wine product that's functional.  The traditional wine bottle is great if you're at home or in a restaurant but it's really inconvenient if you're on a beach and you've forgotten a corkscrew or you're at a estival and need plastic cups so for us there was an opportunity to launch a brand that took itself way less seriously, was fun and functional.

OM - Do you wish there were more women in the industry?

I think it's really important that every industry has as much diversity as possible because when you have diversity it brings lots of different ways of thinking rather than if it's run by one type of person and it's just one type of thinking which can make it un-inclusive.  Take the baby food example.  Before women entered the baby food industry it was sold in glass jars that you needed a spoon to feed baby with and it went everywhere.  It was only when women entered that they said, this doesn't work.  Let's look at other formats where it's more convenient for the parent and the baby and now we have baby food in pouches.  Diversity works.  Ad for women specifically in wine, Yes, of course I do because women are fantastic but also being the minority still provides a massive opportunity because very often when I walk into a room I'm the only woman.  Whilst that could feel intimidating I really see that as a great opportunity because just by me being a woman in a room of men I have a different way of looking at things and thinking which is exciting and powerful and can provide a lot of opportunities.

OM - How important is sustainability to NICE?

Really important.  Anyone setting ip a business should be striving to set up the most sustainable business possible.  We do everything we can in the background to so this.  We should have our B Corp accreditation this year which means we put people and planet over profitability.  We should also be carbon neutral but it's not something that we scream about to consumers as we really think it should just be a hygiene factor - like cleaning your teeth, it should just happen and we would never want to be a brand that fall into the greenwashing so our sustainability strategy is all stuff that just happens in the background.

OM - Couldn't agree more.  So, what's next at NICE?  Anything exciting stuff you can share?

So, on International Women's Day which is now International Women's month which I love, we are launching our first ever crowdfunding campaign (8th March) and one of the aims is that we bring more women into investing as only 14% on angel investors in the UK are women which just doesn't seem right so the message throughout the campaign is about getting women to get involved in investing so follow that on our social channels.  

OM - Now, mum chat.  What are you looking forward to most when the baby is here?

It's my first baby so I'm probably more on the nervous, apprehensive scale than the excited scale but with 6 weeks to go I am getting more excited.  I'm looking forward to all the usual things like getting to know their character, finding out the gender, who it looks like - me or my husband Benjy, all that normal stuff.  I'm looking forward to the juggle of running a company and looking after a baby.  I'm probably someone who's quite  good at when I have a lot on my plate that's when I perform best and I know it's going to be hugely challenging and test every inch of me but I feel really ready and up for the challenge.  I think the thing I'm most looking forward to is I have married an incredibly supportive man who is incredibly supportive or me and the business that I'm building so he's going to be doing 50% plus more at a later date  of the childcare and I feel excited about that because gone are the days that the woman has to do everything todo with the baby and the man goes back off to work.  I think it's great that we live in a society where it's a lot more equal or even that the man is doing more and I know my husband is very calm - much calmer than me, and I know he's going to be great at it and I'm really excited to see that happen.

OM - So much for both of you to look forward to.  How important do you think self-care is for mums and mums to be?

Well I've never been a mum so I don't know but I think it's important whether you're pregnant or not.  It's probably something that none of us make enough time for although I do feel as though it's something I'm quite good at doing.  I'm very much not one of those founders that gives out the message that you need to work 18 hours a day, weekends, never take holiday>. Jeremy and I actually feel the total opposite. We love NICE and put so much into it but we also have a life outside of NICE and I have been very good in my pregnancy at getting pregnancy massages at the weekend and facials.  I probably spend most of my money on clothes and eating out and I'm not doing so much of that now I'm pregnant so I'm using that extra money for self-care and it's always lovely to have that time and I think it's something that I'll definitely continue once I've had the baby whether it's once a month or once every few weeks - just having that moment to myself and I know that's something my husband will ensure that I also have so I feel very lucky there.

OM - Sounds like a good plan.  What does self-care look like for you?

It's pretty simple for me. It's getting enough sleep, I go to bed very early - 9.30pm in the week and I'm up pretty early so I like to get a solid 8 to 8.5 hours sleep if possible and I definitely feel better when I have enough sleep.  My skincare regime now I'm reaching my mid thirties is also really important to me so making sure I have my 5 minutes in the morning and evening to put on my 15 products.  I do really like to have a facial every few months or massage or something super indulgent like get my nails done I love that.  Finally exercise. I don't do as much cardio these days but we have two dogs, a Minature Dachshund and a Spaniel and one of the things O love most about dogs is that you're forced to go out and walk them every day so that's my exercise at the moment.  Oh, and eating well.  I'm quite a healthy eater - don't get me wrong I live a pizza or a burger but I don't really deprive myself of anything but I always make sure I've got a full fridge and cupboards full of really nice food so I can make those healthy choices as I love cooking and I love healthy food.

OM - Thanks so much for chatting to us and sharing more of your world.  Good luck with the baby and all the exciting happenings at NICE.

As we mentioned, for a limited time only, we are giving YOU a complimentary can of NICE wine with every order....but hurry, they won't be around long!