Behind the Blend: Meet Nic
First things first – who are you and what’s your role here at Icely Done?
My name is Nic Chadwick, and I am the Head of Technical at Icely Done. A key part of my role involves overseeing the R&D programme, which can vary greatly. This includes turning ideas into delicious-tasting Blends, exploring how we can bring Icely Done's high quality to other market areas, and ensuring our products reach our customers at the highest level, from production to consumption.
What do you love most about working for Icely Done?
Working with such a great team is fantastic. Icely Done is extremely agile, which makes my job exciting. To be honest, nothing makes me prouder than visiting one of our customers for a lovely Icely Done cocktail and seeing how much enjoyment it brings people. Icely Done pays such attention to detail when it comes to sourcing the best ingredients and, as a standard, uses fruit juice not from concentrate. This results in truly remarkable cocktails!
Give us a little flavour of your background – how did you end up shaking things up in this role?
I have worked for 16 years in the R&D space, most of which has been in NPD and for drinks. My experience ranges from working for an outsourced contract NPD company, to national companies, and Suntory, one of the world's largest beverage companies. I have had the privilege of a long relationship with Icely Done, spanning over 10 years, both as them as a client and now as my employer. It has been amazing to see the transformation of the business and an honour to be part of their story.
Favourite bar or festival?
This is very hard! The one I went to most recently is Beautiful Days down in Devon. It's a small festival, but nothing beats listening to good music in the sun with a proper West Country cider.
What is your favourite Blend and why?
For me, it is the Passion Fruit and Vanilla, as it just delivers and tastes heavenly. It combines four or five different ingredients that a bartender would usually have to add separately into one, making it super easy and super tasty. Imagine the tropical sweetness of passion fruit perfectly balanced with the smooth, creamy notes of vanilla – it's like a holiday in a glass!
What’s your ultimate bar snack and cocktail pairing?
I'm very old school when it comes to bar snacks, as I love a good old pork scratching! Nothing beats it, whether paired with beer or a cocktail. The crunch and saltiness of the pork scratching perfectly complement the refreshing flavours of a well-made cocktail.
The most unexpected part of your job that people wouldn’t guess
I have had the pleasure of receiving cocktail training from one of the best bars in the world, Satan’s Whiskers! I have a lot of love for those guys, as they are doing truly incredible things over in East London. It's not every day you get to learn from the best and bring that knowledge back to create something amazing for Icely Done.
Written by Nic- Head of Technical