Mélanie Masarin, Creator of Ghia

Originally from Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, Mélanie Masarin was educated at the international school Ombrosa. She has always had a taste for languages (she speaks four) and different cultures. Following secondary school, she left for the United States where she studied at one of the country’s most prestigious establishments: Brown University.

After graduating, she remained in the States, working for various fledgling companies to help them grow, and eventually started her own business in 2019. At the time, she was looking for an alternative to sugary fizzy drinks and fruit juices as soft drink options. “When you don’t drink, sometimes you can feel excluded,” explains Mélanie Masarin. “I wanted to recreate the taste of Italian aperitif drinks, with something that’s as stylish as a spritz but with no alcohol.”

This was the idea behind Ghia, a drink with a red colour and extracts of fruit and medicinal plants, which can be mixed with sparkling or tonic water. It has the look, the taste and, what’s more, this 100 % natural drink is soothing and energising. It offers the perfect combination for people “who want to drink with moderation.”

I wanted to recreate the taste of Italian aperitif drinks, with  something that’s as stylish as a spritz but with no alcohol.

Lyonnaise forever

The Ghia adventure began. Mélanie called all the bars and restaurants that might be interested in her drink, and it was a hit! In the space of a year, she managed to sell more than 100,000 bottles and more than 300,000 cans of Ghia in around 650 outlets. “That isn’t very much for the USA,” she adds modestly. She also received an award for the best drink from the magazine GQ and made it into the American business magazine Fast Company’s list of the Top 10 most innovative drinks and products.

Ghia’s reputation has crossed borders. The InterContinental hotel in Lyon has already contacted her, but in vain. Unable to export her products, but with the aim of conquering the European market, the young brand is looking at producing its products on this side of the Atlantic in the coming years.

In the meantime, Mélanie is adapting to life in LA. While she is able to find charcuterie and decent patisserie in the city, particularly canelé pastries, she is unable to get her hands on pistachio saucissons and pâté croûte (pâté in a pastry crust). When she returns to France, the entrepreneur goes to the Halles de Lyon indoor food market with her mother: “she knows I can’t find these things in Los Angeles and lets me choose whatever I want,” smiles Mélanie, who confides that she can never resist the produce on display at Maison Cellerier.

It would seem that even in beautiful, sunny California, there are some flavours from Lyon that are hard to forget.

drinkghia.com

Bio

• 18 February 1991: Born à Bron.
• 2008: Departure for the United States.
• 2020:  Création of Ghia.
• 2021: Launch of the canned drink range.
• 2022: Inclusion in the Top 10 most innovative products by the magazine Fast company.