20CENT STYLE Hard seltzers are trending and here comes Pyke
Have you ever heard of hard seltzers? In the category of alcoholic beverages, this beverage is gaining a fairly significant place. During various market webinars, or via various reports, and even by looking in the supermarket shelves, I have noticed that hard seltzers is a growing category this year. And apparently this trend is expected to intensify in the coming months.
In addition, I also received a press release from a young startup this week. So, I thought it was worth to take a brief look at the subject.
Hard water?
What is a hard seltzer? Actually, seltzers are already extremely popular in the United States where the term "seltzer" refers to sparkling water from a mineral water spring in Germany ("Selters Wasser"). Now here we are talking about hard seltzer, and “hard” comes from the fact that the drink in question contains a certain percentage of alcohol. A hard seltzer is therefore a flavored alcoholic water with an alcohol content between 4 and 7%.
To make a hard seltzer, you have to go through a demanding brewing process. However, sparkling water mixed with distilled alcohol can also be called “hard seltzer”.
Another interesting point to mention is that hard seltzers contain fewer calories than most alcoholic drinks, with generally less than 30 kcal per 100 ml.
The young startup PYKE targets generations Y and Z
"Work hard, Play hard”
As mentioned above, I had the opportunity to discover the drinks introduced by a young Dutch startup, PYKE, who sent me a package. My first impression from looking at the packaging and testing the products is that this is a category that should be popular for millennials and young 'active' people. This was confirmed to me by the words of Anne Koren, Chief Communications Officer at PYKE: "We want to become the most successful hard seltzer brand in Europe. Our product is the right choice for young people between 18 and 35 who have a 'Work hard, Play hard' mentality and are looking for authentic products and brands. Everything we do is sincere and authentic, from our high-quality ingredients and brewing process to our cultural collaborations in the arts, fashion and music. We want to build our brand according to our values and beliefs. This is also clearly reflected in our fully recyclable aluminum can packaging, which is circular, as it can be recycled forever. What's more, we don't have a big company in the background telling us what to do - we are independent.”
A place on the shelves
Of course, I tested the products. It's part of my job and sometimes you have to make sacrifices in life (tough job, I know).
The range currently consists of three references: Mango, Lemon and Grapefruit. As far as I'm concerned, it's clearly the last one that wins over its comrades.
Personally, I'm not part of the target group (despite my youthful appearance, I'm from Generation X my friends). Nevertheless, I find the product interesting because it is not a water mixed with a distillate. PYKE is the result of a traditional brewing process lasting several weeks using real champagne yeast. Also, the product is vegan and contains no gluten.
In short, for the targeted Y and Z generations, the product has in my opinion quite a few arguments that should enable it to seduce buyers and consumers. Without any doubt it should obtain different listings left and right on shelves or in trendy bars and restaurants.
DrinksHard Seltzer20cent StylePyke