We were watching the hard seltzer category just skyrocket and, for a while, hemmed and hawed about getting into it. But if we were going to get into it, we wanted to have a point of difference. I sought out some of the better-known brands and tasted them, and they just struck me as so artificial and unpalatable.
I came to realize there’s a strong nostalgic element to it. When I talked to people younger than I am, their eyes would light up and they’d say, “Oh my god, it tastes just like Jolly Ranchers candy.”
There’s a strong connection to childhood that really appeals to certain people. That’s been part of hard seltzer’s success, but we grew convinced that there’s a segment probably looking for something more real and more natural. Many of the common flavorings have “natural” attributed to them, but I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering for years what that really means. We figured there has to be somebody out there who is really wishing for a product flavored with real fruit juice or fruit puree, but a product that still meets the lower-calorie and lower-carbohydrate quota that’s such a strong driving factor in the appeal of hard seltzers.