The big boys are betting on Hard Seltzer beverages
Drinks that look like a soft drink, but drink like a beer, are in vogue.
These are Hard Seltzer drinks, a category that is triumphing in the United States and part of Europe. They are low-calorie carbonated and fruity drinks, with a graduation of 4.5% similar to beer and packaged in aluminum cans.
This drink was invented by Nick Shields Brewery in Westport, Connecticut and first marketed in late 2013. But it has been only two years ago when it started to become popular in the US market, especially in 2019 due to the viralization of a video of a well-known American youtuber.
According to a Nielsen report, in the United States the number of consumers increased by 73% between spring and fall 2019, or 7.5 million people.
It also achieved sales of $2.7 billion dollars during the same year. But these drinks are not only characterised by being carbonated water-based drinks, with zero sugars, carbohydrates and low in calories, but also because they use aluminium cans, a material that is infinitely recyclable without losing quality in the process and regardless of the size, design or colour of the container.
Two brands that already market this type of drink in Spain are Coca-Cola and Mahou San Miguel.
In Spain, Coca Cola is launching this year with Topo Chico, its first Hard Seltzer brand, with three flavours: Lemon Lime, Cherry Açai and Tropical Mango. The new drink will be marketed in sleek aluminum cans in supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, online channel and in the Horeca channel.
For its part, Mahou has become the first large Spanish brewery to enter the hard seltzer segment with its Glowy drink. The brand has launched three flavours on the Spanish market: cherry, lime and mint and mandarin and grapefruit. He suggests consuming them in a glass with ice, with a slice of lime, tangerine or cherry, which complements the fruity flavours of this drink, or chilled and straight from the can.
It will enter the food and hospitality channels, initially in cities such as Madrid, Salamanca and Valencia.
