Entrepreneur’s wine brand funds water for 500,000 people

An entrepreneur once declared one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors has gone from living in a garage to running a mega wine brand.

Not too long ago, entrepreneur Dustin Leonard was living in his girlfriend’s dad’s garage to make ends meet while hatching a plan to disrupt a notoriously competitive industry with a big idea.

Mr Leonard, who rose to prominence as a CLEO Bachelor of the Year finalist, founded premium wine brand Little Ripples in mid-2019 and made impressive strides pretty quickly.

Then Covid struck nine months later and “threw a spanner in the works”.

Dustin Leonard ran booming wine brand Little Ripples from the back of a campervan.

Little Ripples was never designed to make Mr Leonard rich. It’s a social enterprise that provides clean drinking water to those living in disadvantaged communities across Africa and India.

Each bottle sold funds one person’s water for a year, with more than 500,000 individuals supported so far – but success hasn’t come easy.

While getting Little Ripples off the ground, the realities of running a start-up collided with the global disruptions caused by the pandemic and put extraordinary pressure on Mr Leonard’s finances.

“I didn’t pay myself any kind of salary and lived off two credit cards, which I almost maxed out,” he recalled.

“During those early years, I even lived in my girlfriend’s father’s garage for a while to save money.”

Little Ripples has built 50 wells providing clean drinking water to the equivalent of 500,000 people.

The Little Ripples concept struck a chord with Australian consumers.

It also helped that the wine selection itself is world-class, overseen by a team of award-winning winemakers, guided by famed expert Paul Henry.

The product range quickly grew and now comprises a pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, shiraz, pinot grigio, cabernet sauvignon, rose, moscato, sparkling and prosecco.

Two low-alcohol wines were also launched – a pinot grigio and a sparkling with low calories and half the alcohol content.

Over the course of 2023, Mr Leonard ran his social enterprise from the back of a van as he drove around Australia.

As well as taking the country’s most spectacular natural wonders, he inked several major deals that have made Little Ripples an exciting player in the ultra-competitive wine industry.

“Over the past year, we’ve doubled our sales and doubled our donations,” Mr Leonard said.

“A big part of our growth has been thanks to partnerships with Accor hotels, where we’re now a preferred supplier.”

Mr Leonard also partnered with German airlines Lufthansa and Discover Airways, with Little Ripples wines on all of their global services.

And the organisation also works with Pernod Ricard Winemakers, the second-largest alcohol company in the world.

Dustin Leonard was once declared one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors.

Little Ripples has doubled its sales – and donations – in the past year.

“I’m now able to pay myself a modest salary, which means I’m not surviving on credit cards anymore,” Mr Leonard said.

“I’ve returned to Sydney from my road trip too, but I’m still living in the van at the moment because it’s taking a long time to find a rental. I thought it’d be a couple of weeks tops, but it’s now been a month and we’re still searching.”

Thankfully, the post-Covid world of work means he can run Little Ripples from just about anywhere.

And things haven’t slowed down despite Mr Leonard’s van-based remote office situation.

“Were in discussions with a potential investor and a major alcohol retailer, which is very exciting.”

But his proudest achievement is the recent milestone reached by Little Ripples – providing the equivalent of more than 500,000 people with one year of clean water.

The view from the campervan.

Funding from sales have led to 50 wells being dug. Little Ripples partners with water charity BridgIT Foundation, run by Wendy Tisdell OAM.

BridgIT identifies communities in need and funds the construction or repair of water wells, while devising a 10-year strategy to maintain facilities.

“Our goal is to provide five million people with clean drinking water, so we’re 10 per cent of the way there,” Mr Leonard said.

A lack of clean drinking water is the leading cause of disease and death in impoverished communities.

Originally published as Entrepreneur’s wine brand funds water for 500,000 people