After its debut last year, Phreshly has revamped its ready-to-drink cocktail packaging as it aims to distinguish the brand in BevAlc’s hottest category by focusing on its unique ingredients and cultural roots.
The Atlanta-based brand launched in March 2022 with cocktail recipes inspired by flavors from Ghana and Louisiana, the former homes of co-founders Paul Owusu and Ama Marfo. The product was born when Owusu took his pandemic cocktail hobby further by recruiting Marfo to apply their backgrounds in technology start-ups to a canned cocktail.
Phreshly arrived a rarity in the ready-to-drink market as a Black-founded, women-owned RTD partnering with minority-owned farms across the U.S. to source its ingredients. It also offered two unique 12 oz cocktails: Bay Lemonade, a bourbon based drink with strawberry, lemon and lavender, and G’iddem, a mix of blueberry, pineapple, rum and lemongrass.
But after a year on the market and mentorship through the SKU accelerator program, the founders learned they had to convey those attributes more clearly in order to stand out in an increasingly crowded segment. A survey of 6,000 customers and retailers revealed the need for a better front panel with key ingredients spotlighted, and for the can to connect consumers to the founder’s story. The liquid itself has not been changed.
“We learned that we cannot just say Phreshly is a premium canned cocktail. It’s an elevated experience built on our culture,” Owusu said.
The updated design now shares the ingredients — with rum and aged bourbon delineated — on the front of the can under the cocktail names, with its 6% ABV highlighted on the bottom. The goal is to appeal to the rising number of consumers shifting to spirits-based RTDs, and justify the $43.99 per 8-pack as part of a culinary experience on par with a cocktail in a restaurant. The founders plan for marketing campaigns to emphasize the pairability with meals from their respective cultures, building on the tagline “culture meets premium sips” now gracing the front of the can.
On the back, a paragraph and visual illustration of the founders positions Phreshly as a celebration of West African and Diasporic traditions through an Atlanta-based brand “redefining the canned cocktail experience.” New text and visuals throughout the can point to key messages that seem aimed at the swaths of consumers drinking less but better and making choices aligned with their values. “Black and women owned in Atlanta” is pronounced on the back, with “premium spirits”, “handcrafted” and “gluten-free” decorating the side.
The can has also shifted formats into 12 oz “shorties,” which will place the brand squarely in between some of the best brands in the market, said Owusu.
“If you look on the right side, you have the bigger brands like Cutwater and then on the more innovation side there are brands like Juneshine,” he said. “What I really love is that this can will now sit next to the premium craft beer brand and consumers will pick it up, read the positioning and think it’s an interesting concept.”
Fow now, most of those consumers will be in the company’s home market. Phreshley has distribution in Iowa, Wisconsin and Florida, but will be refocusing its new launch on Georgia, where its sold at retailers like Total Wine & More, and will relaunch in 500 retailers through Empire Distribution in Q1 2024. Now, “back on the road,” the company is looking to raise $1.25 million to support channel strategy and distribution in its current markets while continuing to scale.
The founders aim to keep direct-to-consumer sales at about 10%, using it primarily as a marketing tool as they build up other channels. Specialty retailers and grocers will be priorities, along with food service and hotel partners in Atlanta where the company has already found some inroads.
“Where we are focused right now is really building proof points of scalability to where we’re undeniable,” Owusu said.