ODE International

From a market gap to a Berlin aperitif destination

Stefan Graf Becker and Thorsten Konrad met in a Berlin coworking space — two designers, not a drop of industry experience in the beverage sector. During a joint brainstorming dinner in 2019, they noticed what was missing in the aperitif market: quality, variety, zeitgeist. Where a kitchen team spends hours tinkering with every plate, the drinks menu often featured only a single, overly sweet option. In 2020, the two founded ODE International GmbH with the goal of bringing real flavor into the world of aperitifs. Production has been taking place in Berlin since 2022 — without industry knowledge, but with a clear compass: less sweetness, more substance.

Essences from the ODE/LAB: a unique process, no compromises

ODE works without artificial flavors, without colorings, without synthetic additives — and this is not a marketing formula, but the result of over two and a half years of development work. From more than 650 natural raw materials, Becker and Konrad have extracted and combined essences, developing a flavor architecture in countless test series that did not previously exist in the aperitif segment. In their own ODE/LAB in Berlin, every fruit, every wood, and every botanical is processed at the exact moment its aroma is strongest — a specially developed extraction process that reduces the raw material to its flavor sweet spot.

The wine base comes from Nico Espenschied, a winemaker from Rheinhessen: a Riesling whose balance of acidity and natural sweetness was designed as a carrier for the essences. ODE sources its botanicals worldwide, while production remains consistently in Berlin. All products are 100% vegan and are bottled unpasteurized. Even the gift packaging is made of grass paper — more climate-friendly to produce than classic wood-fiber cardboard. The company is financed entirely by equity.

Bright Lemon and Ruby Wood: two characters, one attitude

ODE Bright Lemon (18.5% vol.) distills Mediterranean citrus variety into a bottle: seven lemon varieties — including Amalfi lemon, cedro, and bergamot — meet peach, apricot, wild thyme, rosemary, artichoke, and a hint of sea salt. The result is zesty and fruity with a herbal, bitter finish. Neat on ice, topped with sparkling wine, or as a base for a Lemon Spritz — the Bright Lemon is deliberately built to be versatile. ODE Ruby Wood heads in a darker direction: hibiscus, gentian, and woody botanicals give it depth and length; tonic water is the classic accompaniment here. Both variants are listed in more than 500 specialist retailers in Germany and can be found in numerous Michelin-starred restaurants — a reach that ODE has built up in a short time without external investors.