Simon Zebo has achieved many impressive accomplishments in his rugby career, including becoming the first-ever player to score two Heineken Cup hat-tricks within a year.
The Corkman made his Ireland debut in 2012, and he went on to score seven tries in 35 caps for his country, winning the Six Nations in 2015 and also featuring in that year’s World Cup.
His 35 Champions Cup tries are more than any other Irish player, and he is third on the all-time list for tries in the competition. Zebo has played for Munster, the British & Irish Lions, and Racing 92.
In this interview, Zebo talks to Hospitality Ireland about his new venture, Black Emerald whiskey, which he launched with Ernest Cantillon, co-founder of the Kinsale Spirit Company.
Please tell us about Black Emerald whiskey and why it was launched.
It’s hugely exciting. Myself and my old friend, Ernest Cantillon, had been talking about doing something for years. We have always been brainstorming, and Ernest had the idea of a whiskey.
It’s funny how things come full circle. My dad had a big interest in whiskey when I was younger, and he still does. I would have been around it a lot growing up. Dad had one of the biggest whiskey collections in Ireland and actually appeared on Nationwide, on RTÉ, once, to discuss it.
So, it was quite funny when Ernest came to me with the idea of getting into whiskey, and it’s been an exciting journey ever since. We are going to bring the whiskey to America, South Africa and Nigeria.
There are some cool launches ahead. We are opening it up to new markets. We didn’t want to go the stereotypical route – we want to represent modern Ireland.
Why was now a good time to launch the whiskey?
With my rugby career, it was very hard to fully invest in other projects or ventures. I didn’t want to be distracted. I didn’t want to do anything half-heartedly or put my name on something I wasn’t fully invested in.
Now that I am retired, I still have that competitive drive, and now that the business world is upon me, I want to go into it full throttle.
Where did you first acquire your love for whiskey?
From my father, to be honest. When I was in my early twenties, I would have had a few drams with him at home, but I didn’t really take to it – I didn’t fancy the taste too much – but then, as I got older, my palate matured, and I really started to enjoy it.
What was your proudest moment in your rugby career?
I would have a few: my first cap and beating the All-Blacks for the first time. When I was a child, I used to idolise a lot of those New Zealand players.
Everything happened for me really fast. I had my first cap a year and a half after I left school. My first cap was actually against New Zealand, with Dan Carter and Richie McCaw. I used to have pictures of them on my wall! It’s really cool to look back and say that was my first game. We lost by about 40 points!
Do you still see your teammates?
Yeah, I see them loads when I cover matches on TV. We go for coffees regularly. Myself and Pete O’Mahony live very close to each other, along with a few others.
Have any of them tried the whiskey?
At my wedding, we had a few samples, and it went down really well. All the rugby players there loved it.
How did you find the transition from sport to business?
Tough, but good. Fifteen years of your life, you are given a schedule, and you know exactly where you have to be and when.
Making up your own schedule, fulfilling plans and making enough time for family and trying to balance your new life is quite tough.
I enjoy getting stuck into work and the business world. I am switched on all the time – Black Emerald is a hugely exciting project. I am looking forward to having more of a hand in the day-to-day running of the business and learning as I go.
What are your plans for the future?
I am enjoying the TV side of things, to be honest. I like doing the media and covering rugby, and eventually other things as well. I’d like to get better at media skills.
It would be great to open a cafe in the future as well. I enjoy making coffees. I’m quite a good barista, so I could see myself opening a cafe or restaurant down the line. As of now, I am fully focused on Black Emerald and my TV work.
What is the best advice that you have ever received?
My mother always encouraged me to be myself. In turbulent times, you need the backbone and strength of character to be yourself.
What is your favourite pub?
Longboats pub, in Cork.
What is your favourite restaurant?
Rossini’s in Cork or Lava Rock in Tipperary.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
Martinique, in the Caribbean – where my dad is from.
Please finish the sentence: Nothing is more important than ...?
Family.
