Another major brewer is teaming up with a non-alcoholic beverage maker to create a hard seltzer.
Heineken USA and AriZona Beverages’ Hornell Brewing Company are working together to launch AriZona Sun Rise Hard Seltzer nationwide in the first quarter of 2021.
AriZona Sun Rise Hard Seltzer will be available in four flavors — Mucho Mango, Cherry Punch, Lemon and Grapefruit — and will be sold in variety 12-pack cans and 19.2 oz. single-serve cans (Mucho Mango and Cherry Punch). Each 11.5 oz. can checks in at 4.6% ABV and 100 calories.
In a press release, AriZona Beverage Company chairman Don Vultaggio touted Heineken USA’s “strong relationships with the distributor network in the United States and extensive manufacturing and brand building expertise in alcohol.”
“Together, we teamed up to both do what we do best,” he said. “We intend to broaden the appeal of hard seltzer by bringing more people to the party.”
“We’re excited to be working with AriZona to introduce the next evolution of hard seltzer,” Heineken USA SVP and chief marketing officer Jonnie Cahill added. “Most of the current hard seltzers on the market are clear, with similar flavor profiles, so we jointly saw an opportunity to add a splash of fruit to the category as we know consumers are looking for real ingredients and great taste.”
Cahill also touted the potential for AriZona Sun Rise Hard Seltzer to broaden the appeal of seltzer in the U.S.
“The current hard seltzers on the market have very similar positioning and we wanted to offer a range of tastes to appeal to a wide array of people,” Cahill said in the release. “ We are looking forward to bringing the fun of AriZona to the table.”
Heineken USA is already active within the hard seltzer space, which has generated $3.49 billion in off-premise sales in the 52 weeks that ended September 5, according to market research firm Nielsen.
Earlier this fall, the company launched Canijilla, a hard seltzer with Mexican-inspired flavors, in two U.S. markets: San Bernardino, California, and McAllen, Texas. Heineken USA first teased Canijilla during the company’s national sales meeting in October 2019.
Meanwhile, Heineken N.V. launched Pure Piraña, a hard seltzer that checks in at 100 calories and 5% ABV, last month in Mexico and New Zealand.
Heineken USA’s partnership with AriZona follows similar deals between beer companies and non-alcoholic beverage brands to launch hard seltzers. Mass. Bay Brewing’s Harpoon Brewery and Polar seltzer launched Arctic Chill last year.
Last month, Molson Coors unveiled a deal with The Coca-Cola Company to make, market and distribute a Topo Chico branded hard seltzer.
Energy drinker maker Monster is also exploring entering the hard seltzer segment next year.