Mixer-Maker Zing Zang Makes a Splash in Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Photo courtesy of Zing Zang
By Jack Robertiello
At a time when aluminum fuels the hottest beverage alcohol packaging trend—for craft beer, wine, hard seltzer, kombucha, cocktails and more—leading mixer-maker Zing Zang has laid down a marker with the introduction of canned cocktails with a difference.
Already known as a category leader in mixers, Zing Zang enters a booming market with three types of ready to drink cocktails at 9% ABV: Bloody Mary, Bourbon Sour and Margarita. The three, sold in four-packs of sleek 12oz slim cans, are vaulting Zing Zang’s already popular recipes and familiar name into new territory.
“We know that consumers love real, full-flavored and full-strength cocktails, and in today’s environment they also want convenience,” says Brent Albertson, CEO at Chicago-based Zing Zang. “We wanted people to have amazing cocktails in a size that is easy to enjoy and share.”
Photo courtesy of Zing Zang
Cocktail Expertise Reapplied
An independent marketer of a variety of non-alcoholic cocktail mixes, Zing Zang is best known for its Bloody Mary mix, and lately innovation has been an important focus for the company. In 2018, Zing Zang re-launched its Margarita with all-natural ingredients, and introduced slim 8oz cans in six-packs, to overcome the major consumer barrier to consumption: spoilage. In 2019, Zing Zang launched Piña Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, and Sweet & Sour Mixes with all-natural ingredients in 32oz bottles and 8oz slim cans.
And now, for something really different, the Zing Zang RTDs are launching in Fall 2020 in 20 states. The canned cocktail market had been slowly evolving but cracked wide open with hard seltzer last year and lately with the post-pandemic, drink-at-home trend, making this a perfect time to launch, says Albertson.
The company’s position in the mixer category—they expect to clear 2.2 million cases in 2020—gives them the advantage of consumer awareness in the burgeoning RTD market. Each flavor has been growing at least in double digits, from the Bloody Mary at 19% to the Margarita up 190%. Single-serve cans of mixers now make up 15% of total business.
The growth in the all-natural mixers helped set the stage for the evolution of the brand, this time into RTDs that allow consumers to get high-end drinks in bulk at good prices. “Our 12oz sleek cans have two servings each, so eight drinks per four-pack for approximately $12.99—that’s less than $2 per drink and almost double the alcohol of a hard seltzer,” says Albertson, who spent 30 years at Diageo before Zing Zang. “We know consumers want real bartender-quality drinks but don’t always have time to mix up their own or make it to their favorite bar in this environment.”
Another big advantage: Zing Zang’s well-established placement with liquor distributors in most states provides a speedy route to market. “Their [distributors’] excitement in early stages pushed us to speed up the process,” he says. “We place high value on their opinions and can’t thank them enough for their input and support.”
The post Zing Zang is Ready to Zoom appeared first on Beverage Media Group.
