Even for a place that’s well known for its shot selection, Starbucks is trying something new.
The coffee giant announced last month the arrival of Sol-ti’s refrigerated wellness shots in 2.1 oz. glass bottles, a move that brings the SoCal-based organic beverage brand into over 10,000 locations nationwide. With two SKUs — best-sellers Ginger and Turmeric — going on shelf, that represents roughly 25,000 points of distribution, and, in just one move, makes Starbucks Sol-ti’s biggest foodservice partner, explained Sol-ti founder Ryne O’Donnell.
Landing the deal took months, he told BevNET. Upon hearing that Starbucks was considering adding wellness shots to its set for the first time, Sol-ti pitched itself to the company and got a positive response that represented “a shot to compete against any of the other brands” in multiple rounds of meetings before being eventually selected. Sol-ti’s SuperShots are now available for order on the Starbucks app and are part of the in-store cooler set alongside brands like Koia and Perfect Bar.
In a shot category where brands are sporting similar credentials (organic) and SKUs (ginger, turmeric), Sol-ti’s glass bottle packaging is providing a powerful point of differentiation, O’Donnell said. But the brand is still innovating around the core concept of premium fresh, functional beverages, made the old-fashioned way with a hydraulic press rather than the more common belt press.
“[Starbucks] saw the future,” said O’Donnell. “And I think if you look at total US MULO [sales] data, they also saw that, and that’s compelling.”
The Starbucks deal is a big win for Sol-ti’s foodservice division, which brought on Clayton Lichterman last year as VP of Business Development after he helped Kodiak Cakes build a presence in foodservice during his stint with the company. The channel represents around 5% of the total business, O’Donnell said.
But it’s Sol-ti’s performance at Publix – 23,000 stores spanning a range of incomes and demographics – that has revealed deeper insights about the brand’s health, said its founder. Even as SuperShot’s price has gone up from $2.99 to between $3.19 and $3.30 per unit, the product has maintained similar velocities in higher and lower income areas.
Now in its 11th year, Sol-ti’s distribution has evolved beyond its roots in natural and specialty retail, mirroring the way trends born in that channel have gone mainstream over the past decade.
On shelves, that’s been reflected through wider presence at Walmart and Target for both SuperShot and SuperAde lines, the latter in 14.9 oz. glass bottles. Starting with regional placements at both retail chains in 2019, Sol-ti has slowly grown with each: Target now carries both Sol-ti’s product lines in multiple regions, while Walmart sells shots in 4-packs and is expanding the brand “almost once or twice a year,” O’Donnell said.
“We’ve actually done better in the conventional grocery than the natural channel for six years,” said O’Donnell. “When you have a retail partner that’s really giving you a shot at going big with them, and they give you four feet of shelf space, that’s a big differentiator, and helps a lot.”
Other Distribution Updates
- All ten SKUs from Lifeway’s bold Flavor Fusions line of organic kefirs have arrived at Asian-American grocery chain H Mart across the country.
- Modern soda player No Cap! Has new partners, adding Smith’s Food & Drug Centers in Nevada and indie chain Rouses Market in Louisiana.
- After entering the market with Sam’s Club and Costo, protein-boosted milk Nurri is now launching on Amazon.
- Laird Superfood is partnering with Australian coffee specialists Bluestone Lane to offer a pair of specialty menu items: Laird Superfood Latte (espresso with Laird Superfood Sweet & Creamy Creamer with Functional Mushrooms) and Laird Superfood Mocha (espresso and a brand new product, Laird Superfood Mocha Creamer with Functional Mushrooms).
- Mark your calendar: starting this Sunday, you can find 50 oz. bottles of Super Coffee cold brew at all Target locations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C.
- You can now get CQ’s 30mg THC shots in liquor stores in Tennessee for $3.99 each, or 10mg shots for $2.99 each.