As summer is approaching and cities are beginning to reopen, people are making their way outdoors where the sunshine is beaming and a warm breeze is blowing. Traveling and resuming other “pre-pandemic” activities are becoming more common. This is the season for outdoor concerts, camping, BBQs, and relaxing on a boat with our favorite people. Life doesn’t get much better than this. The only thing that could top it off? An ice-cold drink. While some trends, such as ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages and seltzers, are sticking around, some companies are stepping up their game and making a big splash in the industry just in time for summer.
Lemonade
One trend that has seen a massive increase in the industry within the last year is alcoholic beverages with lemonade. Truly, a hard seltzer brand, launched their version of a sparkling lemonade seltzer back in January of 2020. They were a huge hit, selling over $300 million worth of product by the end of the year. Showing great success, Truly had all other major breweries and producers, including Bud Light, White Claw, and even Jack Daniels, follow in their footsteps. According to Taste of Home’s “Best New Canned Alcoholic Drinks of 2021,” six of the top twenty beverages are lemonades with #1 being Dogfish Head’s Strawberry and Honeyberry Vodka Lemonade.
Seltzers
While RTD cocktails are taking over the industry, the hard seltzer category alone is flying off the shelf at an astronomical rate. The wellness industry is booming with consumers, who are finding new and healthier alternatives to their favorite drinks. So much so that by the end of 2020, seltzers had $4 billion in revenue. Anthony Von Mandl, the founder of multi-billion dollar company White Claw, created a beverage for more health-conscious consumers and to enjoy a drink without guilt. What many don’t know is that Von Mandl is also the creator of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. When he started his business in 1999, Von Mandl created the original Mike’s Hard Lemonade which was 220 calories and 32g of sugar per drink. In the last several years with a growing number of consumers watching their health, White Claw was introduced with 100 calories and only 2g of sugar per drink. Don’t forget about Mike’s, where improvising was put to the test, and seltzer was born. As a result, in March of 2021, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer was launched—this time with half of the calories and only 1 gram of sugar per drink.
Wine-Based Products
As much as people love a good White Claw drink, there’s nothing like getting drunk on wine. Consumers have seen wine in boxes, pouches, purses and even sunscreen bottles. Wine was meant to be the tipsy sister that gets everyone into trouble, so why not combine the classiness of wine and the casualness of a can? Wine in a can is the convenience of ready-to-go, portioned, and for any mood. Brands such as Bev and Babe Wine’s Babe 100 pack are disrupting the canned wine industry with their 100 calorie and zero-sugar beverages. In February, Babe Wine released a new product—a sparkling canned wine that combines the distinct taste of rosè with the characteristics of a seltzer drink. Low calorie, zero sugar, and sparkling wine? It doesn’t get much better than that.
As more restrictions are easing up with increasing vaccination rates, it’s allowing people the opportunity to get back to normal and to enjoy the summer that they missed out on last year. 2020 was an unexpected year, to say the least, but it should be a constant reminder to maintain good health. Always make sure to drink responsibly, and to never drink and drive, which also includes on boats and jet skis (yes, people can still be arrested and charged with a BUI/OUI). Just as important, whether being inside or outside, everyone should stay hydrated—even more so during summertime. Anyone that is out all day in the sunshine—especially those drinking—should carry Drinklyte with them to quickly bounce back from the exhaustion of being in the sun all day and the dehydration from the alcohol. Their body will be thanking them in no time.
Author : Jennifer Dutton, Blog Writer, DrinkLyte Co. "Helping Grow CPG Brands Beyond Their Potential"