Upland Brewing Company Targets the Next Generation of Craft Consumers With Launch of Beverage Brand rāe

“It is important for us to be more accessible to both a younger and more diverse generation,” said Samantha Marr, Upland Wholesale Brands Marketing Director. “We wanted to create a brand that appealed to those who enjoy an active lifestyle, really care about the ingredients in the products they consume and like to unwind with an aesthetically pleasing and high-quality beverage. rāe is a reimagination of what consumers have been led to believe beer must taste and look like. This sparkling golden ale embraces the evolution of craft flavor profiles and packaging trends with its slim can. It will be a standout in a market dominated by sugary and artificial-tasting seltzers and canned cocktails.” 

Developed with the next generation of craft beer drinkers in mind, rāe’s first product is made with all natural ingredients including lemon and ginger, has a 4.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and is only 110 calories. To create rāe, Upland Wholesale Brands utilized an outside firm to conduct formal market research. 

“This journey with Upland has been an exciting one as the Upland team identified an underserved market that hit home with me, the millennial female,” said Katie Ittenbach, President of SMARI, a market research company. “To better understand her, Upland knew research would be essential to curating the right beverage. How this audience chooses to enjoy their beverage and what really matters has now been encapsulated in the rāe brand. We found that a high-quality sparkling ale is the missing can on the shelf for this audience. Plus, you will love the can design! You spoke, Upland listened.”  

To create the slim can design, Upland Brewing Company utilized artificial intelligence (AI). This is the first time the company has tapped AI for any part of beverage creation intended for wholesale distribution.  

“The purpose of a brand is to make a promise and create a customer, and that’s something Upland has historically done very well," said Eddie DeSalle, President of Upland’s wholesale division. “Twenty-five years ago, Upland Wheat Ale led the introduction of quality craft beer to so many Indiana consumers. The new rāe brand promises to bring light, both figuratively and literally, to a marginalized consumer group that represents the next generation of craft beer drinkers.” 

rāe will be available to purchase anywhere Upland Brewing Company products are sold, including in bars, specialty grocery stores, chain outlets, liquor stores and more, starting May 1.  

About Upland Brewing Company

Founded in 1998, Upland Brewing Company produces and sells quality craft beer made in Indiana. With three breweries, six brewpub and one tap house location throughout Indiana, Upland Brewing Company is the third largest brewer in Indiana, and the producer of the top-selling India pale ale in the state, Dragonfly. Headquartered in Bloomington, Upland Brewing Company utilizes quality ingredients to craft quality, unique brews.