Swoon, a New York-based maker of zero sugar cocktail mixers and syrups, is stepping into the ready-to-drink sector with the launch of a sugar free lemonade line this month.
The new line is available in three flavors: Classic Lemonade, Pink Lemonade (made with strawberries) and Half & Half (made with tea). The drinks retail for $1.99-$2.49 per 12 oz. can and are available online in 12-packs for $34.99.
Swoon was founded in 2015 by Jen Ross and Cristina Ros Blankfein. Originally called Be Mixed, the company produced a line of zero calorie mixers but reformulated and relaunched the products as Swoon earlier this year, dropping stevia and erythritol from the recipe in favor of monkfruit. The mixers are currently available in about 3,500 retail stores, primarily in New York City, and online direct-to-consumer.
“Sugar is bad for everyone and [sugar-free products are] not a trend,” said Ross, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. “It’s not something that doctors are going to come back in two years and say ‘actually we think you should have more sugar.’ Two-thirds of adult Americans are prediabetic, so Swoon was something I was looking for for myself and that I kind of combined that with this idea of how I can help other diabetics.”
Ross said she was unsure if it should launch the lemonades in the middle of the pandemic, and had numerous “starts and stops” over the past few months before finally launching the product two weeks ago. She noted the company took extra steps this spring to secure its supply chain and fortify the business against potential disruptions.
“Like everyone else, we took a deep breath and a step back as our world was changing to really analyze and understand our business end-to-end for exactly where it was in this time and how we can shore it up for a lot of uncertainty to come,” Ross said. “At the very beginning we had an approach of let’s not create anything new immediately, let’s really get into the basics and make the most of the business that we have and streamline the business that we have.”
Blankfein said the company has tapped into the consumer email lists of its mixer customers to promote the lemonades and will also work with current retailers to expand Swoon’s presence on shelf. The lemonades are currently available in various New York specialty stores, including Westside Market. Swoon’s mixers are available in Wegmans, Meijer, The Fresh Market, Total Wine & More, World Market and select Whole Foods regions.
“Because we have developed a distribution chain, we are now going to be able to increase our portfolios through those chains,” Blankfein said. “It goes back to not just the consumer relationship, but relationships with our retail partners and customers. So the jump over to a new category has been pretty seamless for us because of the relationships we’ve developed. And we’ll continue to grow our distribution network.”
Swoon has also tapped beverage industry veterans to aid the brand’s growth, with Nantucket Nectars’ founder Tom First serving as an adviser alongside Andrew Guard, founder of The Guard Agency .
“Tom’s kind of the guru in this ready-to-drink space and he’s helping us navigate everything as we’ve gone from mixers to syrups and now to RTD in a can,” Ross said. “
Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, Swoon has to taken a traditional approach to the building the lemonade line by focusing on sampling and event activations. In New York, the company has set up demos at outdoor public events, handing out full cans (rather than poured samples) at boutique fitness classes, barbecues and other public spaces.
The company has also partnered with local New York food banks on a one-for-one giveback program, donating one can for every 12-pack sold, Ross said. She noted that many food banks have nutrition programs which limit the amount of sweetened beverages available for donation and that the lemonades make a healthier alternative to sugary fruit juices.