The founders of BeatBox are hoping 2026 will bring them their second hit brand aimed at a new generation of consumers.
BeatBox parent company Future Proof will launch Chillitas in February, a new-to-world, flavored malt beverage (FMB) outside of the company’s flagship party punch brand.
Chillitas will target second-generation Latino consumers, who make up 20% of the U.S. population and are expected to grow to 33% by 2030, BeatBox co-founder and chief marketing and experience officer Brad Schultz and SVP of global marketing Zech Francis told Brewbound.
What Chillitas is not is a chelada, Schultz and Francis stressed.
“We don’t have any tomato in it, which we think is a big competitive advantage for us,” Francis said. “We don’t have beer in it because, frankly, look at the macro trends with what’s happening in beer. There are a lot of consumers that feel like beer is not aligned with where they are as consumers.
“There is this Chelada shopper who doesn’t want the beer and tomato,” Schultz added. “They want something light.”
Schultz sees an opportunity to create a new product at the “magical intersection” of cheladas, FMBs and hard seltzers with an elevated ABV at 8.1%.
Available in four flavors – Chili Mango, Wild Paloma, Pica Piña and Sandia Loca – Chillitas will be sold in 19.2 oz. single-serve cans that feature “Spanglish” text (a mix of Spanish and English).
Schultz and Francis believe Chillitas’ liquid will help set them apart from Constellation Brands’ Modelo Chelada Suprema, an 8% ABV chelada brand set to hit retailers in 24 oz. singles in March.
“What we’ve created is very different,” Francis said, noting he tried Suprema “multiple times” at the NACS convention earlier this month. Chillitas is much more chili-lime-and-spice-forward, he added.
Although Chillitas will not trade on BeatBox’s brand equity, the reputation has carried over with retailers and distributors, leading to early adoption, Schultz said.
The new product will roll out in eight states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas – with retailers such as Vallarta, Cardenas Markets, Superior Grocers, Circle K and HEB on board.
“We feel pretty confident within the first few months of launch, this will get into 30,000 to 40,000 accounts, pretty much immediately after launch,” Francis said.
In a fall 2026 Phase Two, Chillitas is expected to add 20 states.
Schultz and Francis also see an on-premise opportunity for Chillitas with Tajin chamoy rim dressings as a ritual similar to adding an orange slice to a Blue Moon or a lime to a Corona.
The idea for Chillitas has been marinating for several years. As BeatBox leaned into being a leading flavored alcohol producer, the company zeroed in on Tajin, chamoy, sweet, salty, spicy flavor trend that extended beyond cheladas into traditional CPG products such as popcorn, chips and sorbets. However, the right opportunity didn’t fully emerge until around eight months ago.
A small team began working on what would become Chillitas, partnering with “The Drip Committee,” a group of around 25 Latino influencers who met monthly to help shape the liquid and branding while also offering weekly feedback by text.
“They have a voice, but right now, we’re just using the brain power to validate what we’re building,” Schultz said. “And come launch, they’re going to be launch partners.”
Social media influencers will receive a large share of the marketing spend behind Chillatas in 2026, Francis said. The company is investing profits from BeatBox to boost Chillitas’ launch, with influencers as well as events, music festivals and fairs to drive trial with sampling.
“It’s really just going to be how many people can we get to try this as quickly as possible,” Francis said.
“We definitely believe that this is a mass market play, and are not afraid to reinvest big behind it,” Schultz added
Chillitas will pull from the BeatBox playbook, and lean into existing partnerships with Live Nation, AEG and major event producers. However, Chillitas will have its own brand voice, with a social media director dedicated to the brand. Francis and Schultz said it’s important to ensure that Chillitas doesn’t become “homogenized” with BeatBox.
Even as they prepare to launch Chillatas, the internal mandate at Future Proof is to “never take our eye off BeatBox,” Schultz said. He added that the scars from a 2019 short-lived hard seltzer launch have stuck with BeatBox’s founders.
“That’s what kept us from doing this,” Schultz said. “Anybody can create a new product. It’s very easy to put a new product together, but it’s very hard to build a true brand with consumers and have something that pulls regularly.”