IRVING, Texas—7-Eleven has long embraced private-label brands, and its latest addition to the lineup is an Italian import—a proprietary sparkling water called Serafina, created exclusively for the c-store chain.
Serafina is sourced from a natural Italian spring, then is carbonated and bottled in the Apennine Mountains. It comes in three flavors: Original, Organic Lime and Organic Lemon Ginger. For a limited time, customers can purchase two bottles for the price of one at participating 7-Eleven locations.
With the sparkling water category expected to reach nearly $60 billion by 2027 as consumer interest in alternatives to high sugar and calorie beverage options increases, the introduction of Serafina to 7-Eleven shelves is a natural fit.
“Customer demand for sparkling and premium water continues to rise, and as the ultimate beverage destination, 7-Eleven continues to innovate in the category,” said Jack Stout, 7-Eleven senior vice president of merchandising and logistics, in a press release.
“Serafina will join Skýra, our super premium Icelandic spring water, to provide 7-Eleven customers with exclusive top-shelf water selections, whether they prefer still or sparkling. We are confident that these products will exceed customers' expectations in both quality and value.”
7-Eleven has a growing private-brands portfolio made up of more than 1,500 products and over $1 billion in sales.
Also following the sparkling water trend, Coca-Cola’s AHA is adding even more fizz and flavor to its lineup of boldly refreshing sparkling waters, just over a year after debuting on U.S. store shelves. The brand will unveil two new calorie-, sodium- and sweetener-free flavors—Raspberry + Acai and Mango + Black Tea—driven by extensive research and consumer testing.
“AHA consumers are variety seekers constantly looking for new and exciting flavors,” said Natalia Suarez, brand manager for AHA, in a press release. “We’ve always taken a consumer-centric approach with this brand, so we started out by exploring gaps and opportunities in our existing lineup to see how we could expand our reach.”
The team started with more than 300 flavors and tested 42 pairings before optimizing the recipes for two top performers. AHA posted strong results in its first year, exceeding expectations despite launching in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more on private labels, check out “Private-Label Goods Help C-Stores Stand Out,” and “Private-Label Watchouts” in NACS Daily.
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