WAWA, Pa.—Wawa and Cape May Brewing Company announced its first collaboration and release of a limited-edition “Shore Tea,” a hard tea beverage, at Wawa’s grand opening of its newest beer store in Bucks County, as well as at the Cape May Brewing Co. Tasting Room and 15 select Wawa stores in Pennsylvania only.
“We’re excited to stretch our wings and fly South to the New Jersey Shore to partner with Cape May Brewing Company to produce our first-ever hard tea with a customer favorite: Wawa’s Peach Iced Tea,” said Michael McLaughlin, senior manager of concept development, Wawa. “Wawa’s Peach Iced Tea captures the aroma and flavors of biting into a freshly picked peach at the height of ripeness and pairs it perfectly with the warm carmelic tones of our Signature Black Iced Tea. Fragrant, juicy and sweet with just the right amount of acidity and a sweet tea finish.”
The hard tea is made with Wawa’s signature Peach Iced Tea and is available in limited quantities of six-pack 12-ounce cans, with 4.5% ABV. All ingredients used are naturally gluten-free, and the beverage contains no peach juice. A six-pack costs $12.99.
“We were excited when Wawa reached out to us with the possibility of collaborating. We’re huge fans, and many of our crew members make Wawa a regular part of their routines,” said Ryan Krill, CEO and co-founder, Cape May Brewing Company. “We’re thrilled that we have the opportunity to continue to expand into the hard beverage space with an incredible partner to bring fans a product that they’ll love.”
Wawa is also holding a social media sweepstakes for a Cape May Brewing Co. VIP brewery tour. From now through July 25, customers can visit @Wawa on Instagram, locate the giveaway post, like, comment with #sweepstakes for a chance to win a VIP Cape May Brewing Company’s production facility tour. Users must be following @wawa and @capemaybrewco to win. Two winners, along with up to four guests, will receive Wawa swag and access to one of the largest production facilities in New Jersey, featuring a newly redesigned canning line and automated tray former, expanded cellar and more.
In May, Rutter’s launched its Spiked Tea Cooler in partnership with Lancaster Brewing Co.
Canned cocktails are seeing fast growth, with U.S. volumes of spirit-based premixed drinks increasing 53% last year from a year earlier, double the rate of malt-based hard seltzers.
“The pandemic has certainly accelerated the RTD category,” said Don Duebler, CEO of Atomic Brands, marketer of the Monaco brand, in a recent NACS Magazine article on the subject. “Consumers have engaged in the ease that these products offer, and that fits their new reality. The projection is that the category will continue to grow.”
The single-serve cocktails are ideal for c-stores, Duebler continued. “For this channel, the shopping mission of the consumer is something for the moment or on the go,” he explained. Still, multipacks are beginning to advance. “Today, we now have over 50% of c-stores selling four-packs,” he reported.
NACS State of the Industry data for 2021 revealed that one of the biggest movers and shakers in the overall liquor category is canned ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails.