While many health brands focus on building a loyal consumer base before being adopted by professional sports teams, tart cherry juice maker CHERRiSH laid its foundation in the athletic channel. But after a year of disruption in the sports world, the Washington-based company is now making a broader pitch to the everyday consumer, repositioning its products as overall wellness drinks for all ages.
CHERRiSH produces a line of antioxidant-rich tart cherry juices which promote health benefits such as post-workout recovery and immune support. The drinks are available in Original, Blueberry, Pomegranate and Chocolate flavors and contain 94 calories per 12 oz. bottle. The original flavor is also available in 3 oz. squeeze packs.
According to founder and CEO Dan Haggart, 2020 has been a transformative year for the brand, which has seen the company adjust its strategy after the COVID-19 pandemic cut off its core revenue channels.
Prior to the onset of the pandemic, much of CHERRiSH’s business had been in the athletic channel, selling and marketing the product to the NCAA, MLB and the NFL. However, when professional sports leagues temporarily ceased operations in March, sales “dried up” quickly, Haggart said, forcing the brand to focus deeper on retail and ecommerce. Though sales in the athletic channel have begun to rebound — Haggart said the brand currently sells about 700 cases to NCAA teams per month — reaching mainstream consumers has become a more vital pillar of CHERRiSH’s overall business.
“It’s been a challenge,” Haggart said. “The virus has not been anyone’s best friend. But believe it or not, assuming we have a halfway decent November and December, we’ll have 300% growth from last year.”
But even before lockdowns, CHERRiSH had begun to transition the brand to an overall wellness product. Last November, CHERRiSH launched revamped packaging that toned down a more sports drink-esque logo in favor of a clearer label that emphasized the fruit, flavors and calorie count.
According to Haggart, CHERRiSH will seek to expand its consumer base through social and digital marketing campaigns that reach beyond high intensity athletes and instead focus on everyday exercise. He said the brand currently indexes towards women and that the company is now enlisting more female influencers to lean into that segment.
In a push to further grow CHERRiSH’s appeal across all age groups, Haggart said the company is also exploring the potential of a 6 oz. pouch format positioned as a kid’s product. He said the company is only “experimenting” with the concept at the moment and will likely launch it online in the near future before making a rollout into retail. The brand is also launching a 1 liter bottle and may also introduce multi-packs.
“We want to move towards the yoga people, or the golfer who has sore muscles after a workout, or the older couple that’s out playing tennis or pickleball,” Haggart said. “You don’t have to be Russell Wilson to drink our product. It’s the everyday person who needs our product.”
But even as the brand tries to speak to everyday consumers, influencer marketing using pro-athletes will still be a significant portion of CHERRiSH’s marketing strategy, Haggart said. Among the brand’s ambassadors are NBA stars Zach LaVine, LaMarcus Aldridge and CJ McCollum, MLB players George Springer and Brett Gardner, as well as retired NFL quarterback Doug Flutie. He also said CHERRiSH is in the process of signing a WNBA star among other women.
CHERRiSH is now in over 2,300 stores nationwide, with a primary focus in the grocery channel through accounts including seven regions of Safeway, QFC, Winn Dixie, HyVee, and Tops Friendly Markets, as well as some club placement through Costco. Heading into Q1, Haggart said the brand is targeting ACME, Vons and Shaws stores. As well, Haggart said he hopes to begin targeting the fitness channel next year and aims to add accounts such as Gold’s Gym and Crossfit.
The company is also focused on growing its DSD network, with Haggart noting that CHERRiSH is working with 11 partners from PepsiCo blue trucks to produce distributors, as the brand is typically placed in produce sets next to competitors such as POM Wonderful, Naked and WTRMLN WTR. While the brand’s DSD footprint is currently focused mostly in the Northeast and the Southwest, Haggart expects to confirm several additions to the network later this month.
He added that CHERRiSH has hired field sales representatives in the Arizona, Texas and Chicago markets to improve its merchandising in store. While the product is shelf-stable, much of the brand’s current placement is in grab-and-go coolers, but the company is now investing in display cases to expand its presence throughout stores.
As CHERRiSH aims to continue its expansion in 2021, the company is now seeking to raise $2 million in a funding round, Haggart said.