Parch was crowned the champion of BevNET’s New Beverage Showdown 25 today, joining a cohort of well-known beverage brands such as Rise Brewing Co. and Health-Ade who have also claimed victory in the bi-annual pitch competition.
Founded in 2022 by Rodolfo Aldana and Ila Byrne, Parch markets a line of non-alcoholic cocktails infused with desert botanicals and adaptogens. The drinks are crafted with the company’s own non-alcoholic agave spirit inspired by the Sonoran Desert. Currently available in two varieties – Spiced Piñarata and Prickly Paloma – the drinks retail for $40 per 8-pack of 8.4 oz. cans.
“Our mission was to make non-alcoholic options as attractive as alcoholic options,” said Byrne during the showdown’s final round. “You can have Parch in a can at a music concert, we were at Coachella, we were at the CMAs […] people have been waiting for more options in the non-alcoholic space [which] has been driven by Gen Z and millennials.”
During Thursday’s round, finalists were given five minutes to pitch their product and brand while explaining to the judges where their product is situated in the market, their blueprints for scaling and how they plan to stand out in the highly-saturated beverage market.
Judges for the final round included BevNET founder and CEO John Craven; Greer Tessler, Co-Founder, Simple Food Ventures; Dan White, Chief of New Revenue Streams, The Coca-Cola Company North America; and Charlie New, Global Category Merchant, Whole Foods.
The competition was presented by Coca-Cola North America New Revenue Streams.
The judges praised the brand for its ability to create a mixologist experience in a can, which is often a difficult feat. Approaching its one-year anniversary, Parch is currently available in 47 states and 550 stores and exporting into Canada where it claims it cannot keep the product on the shelf.
Meanwhile, the judges also said the brand may face challenges related to consumer and retailer education, or lack thereof.
“Consumers don’t know where to put it, so it has some market factor challenges but I feel like the product itself is hard to criticize,” said Craven.
White echoed the sentiment, stating, “It’s the most beautifully designed brand I’ve seen at BevNET [Live]. It has a really tight concept. I’d say that the marketplace might not quite be ready so I want to see it last.”
Looking ahead, the New Beverage Showdown 25 champion plans to release additional flavors, as well as its first collaboration, in the coming months.
Parch emerged victorious from a field that featured five other finalists, including The Bad Tea Co extra caffeinated tea, Gutsy fermented beverages, Gorgie sparkling energy drinks, daio sparkling water and Life Cider sparkling apple cider vinegar lemonade.
As the champion, Parch will receive a $10,000 awareness-building advertising package and join the ranks of past victors including SANS, Plink!, Hiyo, Agua Bonita, Kite, Cann and HopTea.
The finalists were chosen from a group of 12 that also included Tatu protein water, Jabin sports beverage, Soldadera coffee, Oodles of Doodles kids drinks, Lemonback spicy lemonade and Milonga Yerba Mate, pitched as a THC-infused functional drink.