• 💻 Report: Alcohol E-Comm Wave Subsides
• 🌀 HOP WTR Is Hypnotizing the Sober-Curious

Zero sugar tea and lemonade maker Swoon is appointing two new executives this week, naming Sarah Gustat as CMO and Tom Kelly as VP of sales and commercialization.

🤝 Gustat comes to Swoon from Talking Rain Beverage Company where she spent nearly 10 years, most recently as EVP of marketing where she helped to lead a transition from traditional marketing strategies to digital-focused campaigns.

🏭 Kelly most recently held VP-level sales positions at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and previously worked at Coca-Cola Enterprises.

👠 The new hires arrive as Swoon continues to expand its brand nationwide. The company most recently saw strong velocity growth from a collaboration with the Barbie movie for a limited edition can for its Pink Lemonade flavor this summer, reporting sales of the product up 110% in some retailers.

Stay tuned to BevNET today for more details

Get a free personalized report that will help you double your sales in 2024. The SPINS Consulting team will analyze your data for growth opportunities and project sales at key retailers in the US. Learn more

Doritos are a time honored drinking snack, but why settle for simply eating them alongside the alcohol? Frito-Lay North America announced today a collaboration with flavored spirits innovator Empirical for a unique new product: Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirits (42% ABV), available in 750 mL bottles for a suggested price of $65.

🔬 The limited time release claims to retain the “essence” of real Doritos chips through the use of vacuum distillation, “preserving the full spectrum of flavors derived from Doritos,” according to the press release. Recommended for use in Margaritas, Bloody Marys, Old Fashioneds or served neat or over ice.

👀 While a nacho cheese spirit may be unusual, a family food brand launching a spirit is not. Over the past year, brands have increasingly turned to the craft alcohol space to win attention and raise eyebrows. Recall this summer’s spiced rum collaboration between Dead Man’s Fingers and Kentucky Fried Chicken, or the Eggo Brunch in a Jar Sippin’ Cream. 

No word yet on if a Cool Ranch variety is to come. Perhaps a barrel-aged Spicy Sweet Chili?

BevNET’s annual Supplier & Services Guide is an important resource for thousands of beverage brands, natural food brands, craft beer brands, distributors, retailers, and bottlers. The Supplier & Services Guide will be published in the Jan/Feb 2024 issue of BevNET Magazine. List your company to reach thousands of food and beverage industry professionals via BevNET.com, NOSH.com, Brewbound.com, and our daily newsletter. Early bird pricing ends this Friday, December 15. The final deadline to list is January 11.

Yesterday we reported some encouraging numbers for non-alc products in Drizly's latest insights report, but things are looking slightly different on the boozier side of e-commerce. Per new findings from IWSR, the COVID-induced boom in online alcohol purchasing has normalized to +4.5% CAGR from 2022-2027 -- a mere drop in the bucket compared to +31% CAGR from 2019-2021. 

📈 E-comm's overall value share of total beverage alcohol (TBA) forecasts to end up around 4% to 4.5%, having jumped from 2.1% to 3.7% from 2018 to 2021. While pandemic lockdowns helped bring a large crop of new consumers to e-comm, many of those have since moved on. Those who have stayed, however, are shopping with increasing frequency, according to IWSR's report. 

🇨🇳 The pace of adoption varies by region: China’s value share of ecommerce alcohol will increase from 39% in 2022 to 40% in 2027, while the US is projected to rise from 20% to 22%. Elsewhere, Brazil will overtake Japan to become the fourth-largest value market, but the UK’s value share will decline from 12% to 9%.

In honor of Prohibitionists’ favorite month, Dry January, hop-infused seltzer brand (and recent BevNET Award winner) HOP WTR has employed a certified hypnotist to help consumers stay booze-free next month. Amy Koford — also known as The Happy Hypnotist — will hypnotize select consumers in an effort to maintain their temperance goals while also sending them home with a month’s supply of HOP WTR to satiate their newfound thirst for hoppy sparkling water.

😵‍💫 Consumers looking to be “HOP-notized” can sign up on the company’s website until Dec. 26, with the competition’s winners getting their brainwashing done during the first week of January.

💥 “We know people love our brand because they heart it on Instagram, but we want them to be obsessed,” said HOP WTR co-founder and CEO Jordan Bass. “Putting consumers into a hypnotic trance seemed like a natural extension of our marketing."

Get ready for our December Community Calls! This month, learn how emerging brands are using social platforms to educate consumers with Chutni PUNCH and Fila Manila, how Dan-O's viral TikTok videos transformed the brand from a struggling business to a social media sensation, and how to utilize limited time offerings to drive sales and velocity. Read the story.