A vodka soda offering that was only recently introduced by the Kardashian family machine is going on a quest to differentiate itself in the competitive ready-to-drink cocktail industry. As part of this mission, the Kardashian family has devised a plan that involves collaborating with another buzzy alcohol brand that is part of their commercial empire.
Black Cherry, Lime, Grapefruit, and Peach were the four flavors that were introduced for the first time in March of this year by Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter. Along with making its premiere at the Coachella music festival in April, the company cited a shipment of 140,000 cases in its first month as evidence of initial success. Additionally, the band made their debut at the event.
Along with quality vodka, fruit juice, and sparkling water, each can of Sprinter has a total of 100 calories and 4.5% alcohol by volume. Each can also contains sparkling water.
According to the Calabasas Beverage Company, which is a business partnership that owns brands that were founded by the Kardashian family, the brand is now managed. Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand 818, which made its debut in 2021 and recorded 65% year-over-year growth in January with its Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo variations, is presently included in its array of products.
In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Mike Novy, who has extensive experience in the beverage sector, stated that the idea of Sprinter came about naturally from an idea that Kylie had about developing a vodka soda that had a less artificial taste. In the beginning, he served as a sounding board for Kylie to discuss any ideas that she had.
Novy and his family were able to have a better understanding of the characteristics of the two brands, 818 and Sprinter, by the time the product was ready to be sold in stores during the spring of this past year.
“Sprinter was going through a different route toward market.” “We had meetings with two of the largest retailers in the alcoholic beverage space in the United States, and the message that we conveyed to them was very clear: you should be with one distributor group.”
Novy asserts that the Calabasas Beverage corporation is a “reverse holding company,” meaning that the Sprinter and 818 teams each possess a fifty percent stake in the business. According to what he stated, the arrangement has made it possible for the plans of the companies to be better aligned.
When Sprinter releases its second variety pack, it will include four more tastes that have not yet been released. It was said by the CEO that the company intends to go toward stronger tastes that strike a balance between sweetness and acidity.
According to Novy, “We want it to be a positive sensory experience from a carbonation and overall consumption standpoint, beyond just the flavor,” and this is something that we want to achieve.
On a daily basis, the market for ready-to-drink canned cocktails is growing, and new competitors are entering the fight with their one-of-a-kind combinations of spirits, juices, sodas, and even botanicals. According to Grand View Research, the market for ready-to-drink cocktails is expected to reach a value of $2.4 billion by the year 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 14%.
Novy feels that the customer of ready-to-drink cocktails is more aware about the spirits and ingredients that make up the beverages that they purchase today compared to when hard seltzer initially soared in popularity in the late 2010s, which disrupted the landscape of the alcohol industry.
One of the most important things that Kylie wanted was for it to be of really high quality and authentic to the fruit. Novy stated that they did not want anything artificial. A phenomenon that has occurred in practically every category of alcoholic beverages is that consumers are becoming more discriminating in terms of the taste profiles they perceive. It was evident in the beer industry, as consumers shifted their preferences from mass brands to those that were more craft-oriented.
Due to the fact that the Kardashian-Jenner family is so visible on social media, where they have amassed hundreds of millions of followers, Sprinter is in a position to benefit from this consumer change in a way that is unprecedented.
Tequila brand 818 has also announced partnerships with Chamberlain Coffee, owned by influencer Emma Chamberlain, and Rao’s, an Italian restaurant located in New York City. These collaborations involve the creation of tequila-infused espresso martinis and pasta sauce.
Sprinter has an advantage over other upstarts that are attempting to break through in the alcohol industry since it has the ability to gain access to partnerships with brands that are considered to be of the highest caliber. However, Novy stated that the company is still in the preliminary phases of contemplating its subsequent step.
During the conversation, Novy stated, “It’s all about making people feel like they are a part of something bigger than just a beverage.” I have been working in the alcohol beverage industry for the past 35 years, and during that time I have created a number of extremely creative brands. However, I have never come across a brand in which the customers are so enthusiastic and enthusiastic about their experience with it.