It’s been a busy Spring for Connecticut-based spirits company the CoreBev Group.
The startup is gearing up for two launches next month including a Greek rum and a non-alcoholic ready-to-drink cocktail— in addition to buying its own distillery.
Founded in 2017, CoreBev is a spirits producer that launched into the Northeast market with vodka brand Cylinder, which founder Stelio Stavrianos had been developing since 2012. In the subsequent years, the company has added its own canned cocktail seltzer brand, Pasha’s, and the BevNET Award-winning Moonlight Barista, a canned espresso martini in collaboration with cold brew coffee brand RISE Brewing Co. In 2022 it acquired RTD cocktail brand The Cocktail Chemist for an undisclosed amount in its first M&A deal.
Now, the company is adding two more products to its portfolio. Premium rum, Kavo, which is set to hit shelves in June, was inspired by Stavrianos’ Greek heritage and a geographic niche in the rum market. The entrepreneur worked with a Greek distiller for two years to bring the product to fruition, which he’s confident is the first of its kind.
“I had to really look into the market and see what can I do that’s true to my roots? And what can I do that no one else is doing?” he asked. “And the answer was [Greek] rum.”
Stavrianos now joins a crop of new rum entrepreneurs aiming to upgrade the spirit’s reputation, often by showcasing their own cultural backgrounds or premium ingredients. Most of the new entrants come from countries with a tradition of rum production, which is not the case in Greece. The rum will debut for $29 in Connecticut, Texas, and Ontario and will be available to ship nationally online beginning in August.
Angling for a share of the better-for-you market, the second release is non-alcoholic canned mojito called Minus, also available June 1. The brand seeks to create booze-free versions of classic cocktails and is planning a margarita launch this year, with a mule and a Manhattan slated for 2024. Leaning “heavy on e-commerce,” the new product will target direct-to-consumer channels, but has already garnered initial orders from up to 30 liquor stores.
“We’ll find a place for these on-prem too but right now we’re going to target the consumer that wants to have a case of these at home to crack open for dry January or sober October, or in between cocktails,” said Stavrianos.
To build capacity for the portfolio’s evolving lineup, the company has entered into an agreement to acquire an 8,000 square-foot distillery in Connecticut. The new headquarters will retain the master distiller and operations manager of the previous company, which will be rebranded under a new name. CoreBev plans to expand the tasting room and rebrand current products including a gin and bourbon.
“We’re reinventing everything that they’ve done with some fresh imagery and fresh names,” he said. “And we’re hoping to turn the place into a cocktail escape in Connecticut and make our tasting room a destination.”
The new space will help streamline operations, centralizing production under one roof, with the exception of Kavo. That includes production of another launch scheduled for later in the Summer, a six-year aged bourbon.
CoreBev’s sales are up 60% from last year, according to Stavrianos, who in addition to generating new products aims to push the portfolio into new markets over the next few years. The company closed a seed funding round in 2021 to aid with that expansion, led by real estate investment fund HAVN Ventures.
“I’m hoping in five years that we’re at a point where we’ve established ourselves as a name for quality, a name for innovation,” he said. “I want our company to be perceived as the distillery and the group that’s creating really out-of-the box ideas.”