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The Weekly Sip is Food Dive’s column focused on the latest news in the rapidly changing and growing beverage sector. From inaugural product lines to big investments and controversial topics, this column aims to quench the thirst for developments in the category.
Podcast powerhouse enters beverages
Alex Cooper — the host of “Call Her Daddy,” ranked as one of the top ten most popular podcasts on Spotify — is expanding into the beverage sphere with a product for young women.
Unwell Hydration is a ready-to-drink beverage line for consumers seeking to quench their thirst during a busy work day, according to the press release. It’s available in three flavors: Strawberry, Mango Citrus and Orange Hibiscus. Each 16.9-ounce bottle contains 700 miligrams of electrolytes, B vitamins and green coffee extract.
“Women are often expected to juggle multiple roles and be everything to everyone, which is why I wanted to create a hydration drink that helps replenish what we give out,” Cooper said.
The drink will be available at Target in January, with a wider launch to follow later in 2025.
The influence of podcast hosts such as Cooper and Joe Rogan was a major storyline in this year’s presidential election.
While celebrities have launched consumer products for decades, the dominance of influencers and podcasts has led some people in this space to introduce food and beverage products. YouTube and podcast star Logan Paul found success with Prime, a hydration drink popular with young people. Last month, Hershey bought Sour Strips, a gummy candy brand founded by social media star Maxx Chewning.
Hydration beverages are growing in popularity as consumers seek out electrolyte-infused products that can quench their thirst — from Electrolit to PepsiCo’s Gatorade Water. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the hydration drink category is projected to reach $3.26 billion by 2031, increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3%.
Molson Coors rides the Banquet wave
Heading into the new year, Molson Coors is focusing on the brands driving its growth.
Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley spoke to Wall Street investors at a Morgan Stanley conference last week. He emphasized the growth of Coors Banquet, which has seen a resurgence in popularity in the last two years after it was featured in TV shows like “Yellowstone.”
Hattersley said Coors Banquet “has all the momentum in the world” and is growing in double digits and gaining wider distribution.
“It’s got its core powerhouse parts of the country, where we’ve always been relatively strong… but we’re actually gaining distribution in many areas where we’ve been somewhat weaker and in some cases, non-existent,” Hattersley said. “Coors Banquet’s had a super consistent message, it really plays into Western heritage.”
When discussing Molson’s “Beyond Beer” portfolio, Hattersley said its Simply Spiked RTD cocktails, launched in 2022 in collaboration with Coca-Cola, has grown into a $100 million brand driven with limited-edition launches like cranberry. The beverage giant will launch a new line called Simply Evolve exclusively at convenience stores next year, the CEO said.
Hattersley believes the “string of pearls” M&A strategy he enacted has proved successful. In November, Molson announced it bought a majority stake in Zoa energy drinks, co-founded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Hattersley said the company has had greater success in energy drinks than spirits so far, where it is “a little bit further behind the learning curve.”
Hattersley said Molson Coors “needs something more than just Zoa” in the nonalcoholic category, and that investors can expect a new alcohol-free product to either be created in-house or acquired by the company in the near future.
“We’ve certainly learned a lot, but now we’re going to build more of that capability. We have a nice foundation. We need to double down on that,” Hattersley said.
Suntory takes a trip to Tokyo with new RTD cocktail
Suntory Global Spirits is expanding its ready-to-drink cocktail offerings with a drink inspired by the capital city of Japan.
Maru-Hi, a sparkling cocktail, is a malt beverage that takes its inspiration from a Japanese cocktail known as the izakaya. The cocktail features a lemon-lime flavor and contains 5% alcohol-by-volume.
The drink will debut in California in January, followed by other states in 2025. The launch is part of Suntory’s plan to grow its presence in RTD cocktails in the U.S.
“Our competitive advantage in the RTD category is our superior liquid design expertise and craftsmanship that we’ve accumulated in our over 100‐year history as a multifaceted beverage company,” said Sho Semba, Suntory’s president of RTDs.
The ready-to-drink cocktail market is projected to be worth $63 billion by 2030, according to The Insight Partners.
The launch comes after Suntory Global Spirits, the spirits arm of Japan-based Suntory Holdings, unveiled a new business strategy earlier this year. A significant part of its plan includes growing its RTD presence beyond the -196 hard seltzer and On The Rocks Premium Cocktails it already offers.