In this latest round of distribution news, we check in with new coconut vodka water, Mother’s Milk and another fruit-infused vodka cocktail named after the same parent, Mom Water, as well as craft distillers Heritage Distilling and Frey Ranch, plus news from rum Coconut Cartel.
Heritage Distilling Co. Goes to Oklahoma Via Beer Distributors
Following the acquisition of another regional distiller last month, Heritage is now bringing its growing craft spirits portfolio to Oklahoma courtesy of distributors who comprise the MillerCoors network. That move follows in the footsteps of spirits giant Sazerac switching to a beer wholesale approach early last year.
“With the consolidation of spirits distribution and the lack of ability for small brands to get attention in the traditional spirits houses, going to well established, hungry and effective beer wholesalers who want and need our products is the next growth opportunity for craft brands,” said Justin Stiefel, CEO and co-founder of Heritage.
The new distributors include LDF Companies, Capital Distributing, LLC, Fisher 59, Jett Distributing, Inc., and Pope Distributing. The CEO added that the move is not to knock spirits wholesalers (Heritage also works Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits and Republic National Distributing Company), but aligning a partners’ goals with their own is a market-by-market decision.
“But if a beer wholesaler is open to working with us, chances are we’ll be very interested in working with them,’ he said.
Mother’s Milk Hits Total Wine & More
After launching last year, New York-based vodka coconut water Mother’s Milk has made headway into multiple Total Wine & More outlets including in Westbury, New York, as well as Totowa and Cherry Hill in New Jersey. The RTD will next hit Total Wine & More shelves in Florida, followed by California.
The major chain originally approved the product for 15 different stores including Florida and California but the startup decided to put hold on the expansion and gradually grow into those markets with more brand awareness starting with Miami, said co-founder Jennifer Roman-Matito. The company is working on growing its registration in more states, after expanding into nine via LibDib.
Mom Water Moves Into New England; Hits 743K Cases in 2023
Fruit-infused vodka water, Mom Water, is now extending its retail reach into 36 states. The RTD company added six additional states to its distribution this month, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada. The brand’s counterpart, Dad Water, will also be available in all 36 states, quadrupling its distribution from seven states in its first year of production.
Mom Water is one of the RTDs riding the non-carbonated wave that some industry stakeholders see as an emerging trend in 2024. In 2023, the brand’s retail store presence increased by 54% from the year prior, jumping to over 21,000 stores nationwide, including major retailers such as Walmart, Meijer, and Trader Joes. The brand surpassed 743,000 cases sold in 2023, up 53% compared to the year prior, and projects to sell over 1.25 million cases as it enters its fourth year of business.
To keep up, the team has expanded from 19 in 2022 to over 26 members in the past year, including a new senior vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Parisi, who formerly led sales teams across Constellation Brands beer, wine and spirits divisions. The brand has hinted at new flavors and a second variety pack to be released this year.
Frey Ranch Takes Its Field-To-Bottle Whiskey to Five New Markets
As one of the few distilleries that grows 100% of its own grains, Frey Ranch has taken a slow approach to expansion since its launch ten years ago. Now it’s moving into five new U.S. markets.
“The rollout into these new markets over a 12-month period signifies that we’re taking a steady, but measured, approach to expanding our U.S. footprint,” said co-founder and whiskey farmer Colby Frey.
Those states include Texas, Oregon, Arizona, Ohio, and Georgia via a mix of spirits distributors including SGWS and Breakthru beverage. That brings the company’s retail territory to seven states, including its home of Nevada, and California. The expansion comes as Frey Ranch announced it will hit the shelves of 117 Albertsons locations across Arizona and Nevada.
California and Nevada distillery visitors and the thirst for regional whiskeys have fueled the brand’s growth in closer markets over the last decade.
“There’s not a lot of founder-led brands where you have founders that live on the farm that are running the business,” said co-founder Ashley Frey. “And so for people to come out and experience that, it really is a compelling story and they really do fall in love with the brand.”
Last year, Frey Ranch expanded to over 2,000 acres of farmland to increase its corn, wheat, rye, and barley production and recently broke ground on a new 10,000 square foot aging warehouse – the company’s third warehouse of this size with a capacity to house approximately 8,400 barrels.
Other Distribution News:
- Coconut Cartel has made a major move into the drugstore channel, hitting 138 Walgreens Liquors across Florida.
- RNDC and Edrington are launching a national partnership effective April 1 with Edrington Americas ultra-premium portfolio now exclusive to RNDC in 40 markets across the U.S.
- Ranch water Buena Gave has now made it into New Hampshire’s Market Basket, the “moby dick of grocery retailers” according to a LinkedIn post.