With all the discussion around a revival in the soda category, Motto is eager to get back in the conversation.
Sporting a new 12 oz. aluminum can package, the Brooklyn-based matcha soda brand is returning to store shelves this month after a roughly two-year hiatus, and making its ecommerce debut, as it seeks to rediscover its interrupted momentum within the better-for-you beverage marketplace.
“Our moment now is kind of starting from the beginning with what we feel is a pretty good advantage — we’ve got some history and some experience in the business,” said co-founder Tom Olcott. “It’s early yet for our relaunch, but it is something we’ve been working hard at for a long time and getting ready for.”
First launched in 2012, Motto had established a place for its green glass bottles in next-gen soda coolers at retailers like Whole Foods in the Northeast. But after pulling the product from shelves in early 2020, the brand is returning in cans, a move that Olcott said opens ecommerce opportunities as well as retail expansion in New York City and New England.
Olcott said the new canned version is mainly the same formulation, aside from adding sea salt and making the product “much more robust in terms of shelf-stability.” The drink still needs to be gently shaken before consuming; matcha powder is insoluble without the addition of other ingredients which are “outside of our core principles.” The carbonation level, however, has been lowered.
Pivoting away from glass solves the issue of light impacting the liquid quality, but more importantly allows Motto to be shipped ambient. The product is now available for shipping direct from drinkmotto.com. “That’s a big deal for us,” said Olcott.
“[Cans] allow for the ecommerce piece, and just make things easier on the consumer in the end because the product that we have now does not require refrigeration at all times. It’s just about maximizing the quality of the flavor for as long as possible.”
While the formulation remains largely intact, Olcott said the brand spent the last year fine-tuning its “straightforward but deceptively complex” production process before signing on with an unnamed co-packer with whom it believes it can scale. The drink itself (MSRP $3.75) contains premium Japanese matcha, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, agave and sea salt.
Initial distribution will focus on rebuilding its presence in New York City and the Northeast, while ecommerce options are expected to extend the brand nationwide. As it returns to the beverage market, Motto finds itself re-entering a fractured category: matcha RTDs range from energy drinks (MatchaBar) to pure plays (ITO EN’s Matcha Love) to hyper-functional lattes (Taika, Pop & Bottle).
Working with perishable natural ingredients like matcha has presented challenges in terms of sourcing, but are an essential piece of Motto’s broader concept of offering “fresh soda with plant ingredients,” Olcott said. That will extend into other products in the future, but for now Motto is being positioned as a soda-leaning “wellness drink” that offers consumers a simple, intuitive refreshment proposition.
“At the end of the day, we’re looking at the current product and future products as a claim-less drink that will sort of speak for itself,” he said. “It’s not a car company; it’s not a new model every year. It’s a drink that we work really hard to source great ingredients for, and would like to let those speak for themselves.”