Brewbound Awards 2025: Rising Stars - Bravazzi

Speaker 1 [00:00] Let's meet our next brewbound rising star. It's Bravazzi, the hard Italian soda brand. Joining me now is Bravazzi CEO Josh Buckley. Congratulations, Josh. Oh,

Speaker 2 [00:11] thank you so much, Justin. I mean, it's such a It's such an honor and just so cool and, and sort of surreal to, to be here with you doing this interview and, and being a part of it and winning the award. So, uh, the team here couldn't be happier and we're very, very psyched.

Speaker 1 [00:25] So. Well, we're psyched to honor you as one of our rising stars this year. And for people who might not be as familiar with Bravazzi, can you You bring him up to speed with a quick overview. Sure,

Speaker 2 [00:36] absolutely. Um, started around 8 years ago, uh, hard Italian soda concepts, um, back when sort of those products and fuller flavor products were coming to market, but, um, that just sort of celebrates Italian lifestyle, Italian way of life. It's made with real fruit, real cane sugar. Um, you know, like, we like to say with the perfect amount of fizz and sweetness, so, taking advantage of that fourth category.

Speaker 1 [00:58] Bravazzi has really leaned into being a fuller flavored product made with real fruit and cane sugar. Why has that worked so well with, for the brand in a moment where a lot of consumers are talking about health and wellness, a lot of brands are talking about health and wellness, but then on the other end of the spectrum, they are seeking out these flavor items.

Speaker 2 [01:19] Yeah, absolutely, great question. You know, for us, and, and we do so many tastings and samplings in the states that we're present in, um, and I think really it's the story. I mean, you guys have been reporting on it for a while, and it's in the industry, it's really about flavor right now, and so many people are seeking things that taste great and are a little bit different flavor profiles than what they've had over the past, you know, 1520 years of, of drinking beer and And I think that's really starting to resonate with the crowds and where the, where the, even the younger drinking age folks, uh, where, we're, we're meeting the consumer where they're at right now, I think is right product, right place, right time.

Speaker 1 [01:56] So you were pacing at around 100,000 cases this year when we last spoke. How is that going?

Speaker 2 [02:02] It's still looking good. Uh, we, you know, we have a little bit of lag in the data. You never know between how the Circana Nielsen stuff comes in and all the different systems folks are on. Uh, but, but it looks like we should be somewhere in that 80,000 to 100,000 case range this year, so. Which represents about, you know, 45, 50% for us, so.

Speaker 1 [02:21] So when you reflect on 2025, what do you count as your biggest win of the year?

Speaker 2 [02:27] Oh, that's a, that's a good question. Um, for us, a really cool event in 2205 was launching in the state of Florida. Uh, That took, boy, I bet the better part of 12 to 14 months to kind of get everything settled and figured out, and the documents signed and all the, all the parts that aren't fun to talk about, um, to finally get launched in the state of Florida. That was, that was a pretty big cool thing. Um, and then for us again, we've won a couple untapped awards again this year, which is always a special thing for us in terms of, uh, it's always great to When your fans, your public speak and say that they still love the product and still love and enjoy what you're doing. So, those are probably the two biggest highlights, I think for us, um, and can just, you know, continue the success in a, in really a, an environment that, as everybody knows, is challenging, so.

Speaker 1 [03:15] When you look ahead to 2026, what do you see as the biggest opportunity for the Bravazi brand?

Speaker 2 [03:21] Yeah, absolutely. I, I think for us, Uh, really, we keep pressing, uh, on premise. We're proud to kind of be one of the, one of the few and one of the pioneers in getting, um, that fourth category product onto draft handles. Uh, we're running somewhere around, uh, you know, on a monthly look, we're probably around 250 + 300 draft handles, depending on the markets and where you're going and, and, and, you know, any given moment with the data. But, uh, I think keep pressing that success that we've had with the on-premise market through draft, um, is really the focus for 26 and then. Just continued, uh, working on our innovation pipeline and working on for us, uh, being newer, still working on getting a lot of chain placements and doing those types of things too.

Speaker 1 [04:03] What's your strongest brand on draft? Uh,

Speaker 2 [04:05] blood orange for sure. That is, uh, by far the, the, the number one favorite flavor for everybody.

Speaker 1 [04:10] And then you mentioned innovation for 2026. What are you looking forward to getting out in the market?

Speaker 2 [04:16] Yeah, so we're, we're working on a couple of things right now, um. I think, you know, as venues become more important and you're seeing the venue play, or at least here in our home state of Tennessee and I think some other states, uh, I think larger format sizes, so your 192 size starts to play more and working on getting that rolled out. And then of course, You just see so many different versions and like you said, the better for you and some of those products and people like that more calorie conscious, um, you know, is working on different versions and lighter versions of the product, um, and then also some working on some other flavor profiles that, that resonate with the customers.

Speaker 1 [04:53] So when do you expect those 192s to hit and uh which brands are you gonna put in it?

Speaker 2 [04:59] Yeah, absolutely. Uh, I think we'll probably in select markets try doing the 192s, uh, in 26, Tennessee being one of those and Since it's our home market, um, and then, yeah, obviously the blood orange, it's, it's the crowd favorite. It's far and away the right one. so we'll start there and work on some of that. We, in 25 had some earlier success using 16 ounce cans, but, but we've kind of worked with some of the concessionaires and some of the folks and just heard taking their feedback and her that the, the 192 world is where their preference is. So, um, we'll do that. And then, of course, Just looking at some of the other brands that are out there that have been so successful with the products they're making, trying to find those products, you know, you can get into the single digits with sugars and get that calorie count down to around 100 calories, um, is, is a goal of ours. I don't know if we'll get that product to market in 26, but we're certainly, we're gonna work hard to try to do it. So.

Speaker 1 [05:50] Any new flavors that you're playing with that you want to get into the market too?

Speaker 2 [05:54] Not that we're probably ready to talk about it yet. We're, uh, we're having some fun with it, and, you know, it's always fun to have some samplings here and, uh, and send them off to your friends and see what they think. But, but yeah, we're still, we're still working on finding that right. I think for us, we've made such a commitment on the other flavors to really do them well and have good, clean, crisp taste. It's a, it's a labor of love, but we, you got to work hard to make sure that they align with the, with the, what the consumer already knows is our product and the quality of it, so.

Speaker 1 [06:22] What's one thing you learned in 2025 that you're gonna, one lesson that you learned that you're gonna carry forward to next year and beyond?

Speaker 2 [06:31] You know, it's, it's, I would say, it's classic, right? There's some things that, uh, that over the history, I would say of beverage have worked, and you got those time-honored traditions, and you gotta remember those and respect those. So I would sort of say, Hey, um, one of those classic things that has always worked for us and the big differentiator for beer has always been the draft scene, right? You build the brands on draft, um, you know, brands are built on barstools, and, and you gotta do that work, you gotta put that effort in, um, on the, on the draft side. But you also have to build out the off-premise. So, respecting those traditions, those time-honored things that have always worked in beer. But on the new side is bringing that idea of, hey, bravazzi is this fuller flavored, uh, gluten-free alternative for folks out there in the market, and, and that you, you also have to bend what has worked or try new things and innovate and get more of those products out there. So like many things, it's always find that healthy balance, um, and so really leaning in and And doing a little bit more of that, I would say in 26 is, is trying to, trying to get that innovation out into the marketplace and, and, and listening to your consumer. So, lots of classic advice that, that, that everyone knows. Always hard to follow though.

Speaker 1 [07:48] Oh, for sure. Well, congratulations, Josh. We're excited to honor Bravazi as one of our rising stars this year. Thanks for doing this interview.

Speaker 2 [07:58] Oh, thank you so much, Justin and, and Jess and Zoey. I know you're out there somewhere in the, the digital space, but you'll be there when this airs. Uh, no, thank you so much for y'all and what you do for the industry, um. You know, we here at Bravazzi are big fans and we're always listening and learning from y'all and, and, and honestly, take a lot of uh guidance and advice from the work y'all do in the market and the industry. So, uh, in some small way, you're part of Team Bravazzi, we wouldn't be able to get to where we are without y'all in, in the work you're doing. So thank you so much and such a huge honor to, to be considered for this and to win, and, uh, thank you so much, everybody. It's awesome.