Beyond Beer

Ask any THC or non-alcoholic alternative beverage founder about their biggest obstacle to breaking into widespread distribution and the answer is almost always the same: education.

In this latest installment of 3 Up, 3 Down, 3 Tier product team consultant Stephanie Roatis shares a trio of insights on industry growth and three underperforming areas ahead of the summer selling season, with NIQ data through April 20, 2024.

Married duo Camillia and Dave Bailey fell in love with tepache, a beverage made from fermented pineapple, while traveling in Mexico City in 2018. Fast forward to 2022, and the pair launched Crooked Owl Hard Tepache, a 5% ABV version of the beloved beverage that is “naturally probiotic,” shelf stable, gluten free and 100 calories per can.

Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners is the latest group to invest in ready-to-drink brand The Finnish Long Drink, the company announced today.

Hella Cocktail Co., known for its bitters and mixers, is making a foray into bev-alc with a ready-to-drink (RTD) line debuting this week, Hella Margaritas.

Vintage Wine Estates (VWE) has concluded another round of layoffs, the fourth time the company has done so in the past 14 months.

Harley-Davidson is rolling into the non-alcoholic (NA) beer segment via a licensing deal with Wisconsin Brewing Company. Road King American Pils is rolling out now throughout the Badger State in 16 oz. can 4-packs.

If Tip Top Proper Cocktails had the resources, it would’ve released 11 new styles of canned cocktails this year. While they settled for about half that amount, the team still argues that constant innovation is what makes their brand the most in touch with cocktail culture—and helps a small company like theirs carve out a distinct position in a saturated category.

The vast majority of shoppers (82%) can’t match influencers to the brands they own, according to a new report from Numerator— but that’s not discouraging influencer or celebrity brands from trying. One BevAlc company, co-helmed by the founder of hydration drink brand Roar Organics, is even building its business model around quickly bringing influencer brands to market.

Beam Suntory is rebranding to Suntory Global Spirits, a move that both reflects back on the decade since the Japanese spirit giant acquired the maker of Jim Beam, as well as the company’s continued evolution into a global premium spirits and ready-to-drink competitor.

Firestone Walker is the latest top craft player to enter the non-alcoholic (NA) beer space by leveraging the brand equity of its biggest brand. 8ZERO5 blonde, an NA version of the Duvel Moortgat-owned craft brewery’s 805 flagship, will only be available in its home state of California following Labor Day.

FX Matt Brewing Company has made another strategic acquisition, this time in the spirits category.

Surfside, a fast-growing line of canned iced tea and vodka cocktails, is getting the summer par-tea started with five new SKUs and a distribution expansion putting the brand in over 40 states, the company announced today.

Pernod Ricard-owned Corby Spirit and Wine, Canada’s second largest marketer and distributor of spirits and wines, has agreed to purchase RTD brand Nude for $8 million ($11 million CAD).