These New, Purpose-Driven Canned Cocktails Support Emerging Musicians

Prepared-to-drink alcohol merchandise are arguably essentially the most disruptive class the beverage business has seen in recent times. In keeping with a recent study by drink market evaluation agency IWSR, ready-to-drink merchandise have, since 2018, been rising sooner than another main drinks class and can command 8% of Complete Beverage Alcohol by 2025. RTDs aren’t solely stealing share from beer but additionally attracting spirits shoppers, cider drinkers, and wine lovers all around the world.

It’s no shock that business vets are recognizing the profitability of RTD cocktails, together with Adam Kost, who spent greater than 20 years within the alcoholic beverage business together with roles at Heineken USA, Pernod Ricard and AB Inbev’s ZX Ventures. He supported Dos Equis’s “Most Attention-grabbing Man within the World” marketing campaign and spearheaded advertising and marketing and innovation for Waterloo Sparkling Water.

However within the 20 years Kost spent constructing beverage manufacturers, he seen a definite lack of purpose-driven merchandise within the alcohol area. That’s why he determined to launch Country Luau, a line of canned cocktails made with actual spirits in 4 tropically impressed twists on traditional cocktails. Paying homage to its roots in Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, the model donates 2% of gross sales in direction of supporting rising musicians via their Mixed for Music™ Program.

All skilled musicians ages 21 and over can apply for a grant, which generally begins at $250. Acceptable grant fund makes use of embody something that furthers a musician’s profession: gear, transportation, images/videography, album artwork, or studio time.

“I knew that once I had the chance to create my very own model, I’d deliberately design it to present again,” Kost explains. “I’ve labored for plenty of large companies within the alcohol business through the years, and we all the time sponsored in style music artists. Because the founding father of a enterprise, I believed it was essential to take a reverse strategy to that company mannequin.”

Slightly than leverage in style artists to assist develop a model, he needed to leverage a model to assist smaller artists construct their audiences. “That being mentioned, we see a chance to accomplice with bigger musicians who’re aligned with our mission and values as we develop,” he provides.

AZXO, an Austin-based indie rock/pop band, was the primary to obtain considered one of Nation Luau’s grants.

“We’re going to make use of the funds to make a music video,” mentioned AZXO frontman Zhìpéng Xíng. “Music advertising and marketing is so visible now and a high-quality music video can translate superbly to social media platforms. Getting our sound on the market together with our brilliant, colourful aesthetic will assist us attain new audiences, create new followers, and hopefully e-book extra dwell reveals! This grant means lots to us.”

Nation Luau is called for the surroundings it strives to create – an inclusive, judgment-free good time the place mates and strangers can chill out and luxuriate in one another’s firm. It’s impressed by the storytelling of nation music and the laid-back vibe of the luau.

These glowing canned cocktails are available 4 flavors: A rum-based Strawberry Daiquiri, Spicy Pineapple and vodka, Yuzu Ranch Water with actual tequila, and a Mango Mosa spiked with vodka.

“From my background working within the hospitality and culinary worlds, I began to see flavors like recollections,” mentioned Kost. “With our Yuzu Ranch Water … these [flavors] can create good new recollections with a more moderen taste in yuzu. And with our Strawberry Daq, we needed to make it style and odor similar to that nostalgic frozen daiquiri combine from our youth. We form of joke that it’s not a cocktail, it’s a time machine.”

Every 12 oz. can is designed to be extremely sessionable at 5% ABV, two grams of sugar and 100 energy.

“It was very important for me to create a model that’s each private and had a transparent goal, and our mission at Nation Luau is to deliver individuals collectively,” says Kost. “And I do know that nice music, good mates, and clearly a tasty canned cocktail can do that basically effectively. And from a client perspective, giving again to native music economies aligns with our prospects’ ardour factors and life-style.”

Nation Luau is now accessible online with nationwide shipping and at impartial liquor shops, bars and eating places all through Tennessee and Arkansas. It will likely be accessible in South Carolina in early June and all through Texas by October.