Rashad Grimes looks forward, aims high

Founder of alcohol delivery service Dippi takes advantage of new legislation in Alabama

Dippi aims to revolutionize how both Birmingham and the state of Alabama get their alcohol.

Rashad Grimes’ new business venture, Dippi, an alcohol delivery service based in Birmingham, started making deliveries in late October.

Since it became legal for them to operate, Dippi’s average order through the app has been $90, and the company is experiencing daily growth.

“Right now we’re just constantly working on expansion,” he said. “We’re trying to be across the entire state no later than February.”

He said Dippi is currently waiting on the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to release a bid and will compete to be the exclusive delivery service for the board.

Grimes said he not only has his sights on Dippi being the biggest alcohol delivery service in the Southeast, but he’s also using the company’s technology to provide data for other retailers in the alcohol industry.

“Essentially what we are is a data company,” Grimes said. “We’re in the process right now of building out technology that adds value to producers of alcohol as well as the retailers. We’re collecting data and building systems that help the producers and the retailers know how to streamline service so they can have more of a positive impact on customers.”

Dippi has attracted the attention of many Birmingham residents, including Mayor Randall Woodfin, who has been outspoken in his support of Dippi on social media.

Grimes said he can’t speak for the mayor but speculates that Woodfin wants to give more minority business owners public exposure.

Grimes and Woodfin were both born and raised in the city.

“I think from his standpoint, he’s not just thinking ‘this is just a random company,’” Grimes said. “I’m a product of Birmingham. I’m similar to him. A lot of people don’t know that his brother was killed. My brother was killed. He went to Cumberland School of Law. I went to Cumberland School of Law. He’s an Alpha. I’m an Alpha. He went to an HBCU. I went to an HBCU. I think the mayor relates to me because he sees himself.”

Grimes has always been an entrepreneur. He worked for his father’s shoeshine and shoe repair business from the age of 8 through college and learned quickly that he wanted to be his own boss, he said.

He later graduated from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law with a law degree in order to help himself become a successful entrepreneur and to give himself a fallback plan.

“A law degree is the most versatile degree you can have, so I went into law because I always understood that I need to understand the legal aspects of business,” Grimes said. “If push came to shove and a business venture didn’t work out, I could always pivot and pursue something that I would have a steady source of income in.”

Grimes had a different business idea before Dippi but decided to focus on alcohol delivery because he didn’t see anyone in the state providing that kind of service, he said. The start-up had to wait for legislation to be passed in order for them to have the proper authorization to begin operation.

“The alcohol industry is probably one of the most regulated industries,” Grimes said. “For the most part, we had to wait on legislation to be passed, and legislation is constantly being written regarding alcohol delivery. Timing was essential and also being able to get proper funding with that timing.”

Legislative approval came in 2021 when the Alabama Legislature passed two bills: one allowing alcohol deliveries from retailers to people’s homes and one allowing wineries to ship directly to consumers in the state.

At press time, according to media reports, Dippi was one of four Alabama companies that had become licensed to make residential alcohol deliveries.

Grimes started learning about the business start-up scene at Innovation Depot, a startup ecosystem in downtown Birmingham that gives entrepreneurs the tools and knowledge to succeed, he said.

Since becoming an entrepreneur, he’s learned it’s not enough to have quality employees for his business.

“One of the biggest things about business, especially from a start-up perspective, is that you really have to be good at managing people because you’re only as good as your team,” Grimes said.

He said he’s also learned there’s a lot of trial and error in running a start-up business.

“It’s kind of like an experiment when you’re running a business,” Grimes said. “You’re testing, you’re learning and measuring, and you’re constantly doing it over and over again until you have a well-tuned machine.”