Mendez Fuel Dives Into Private Label Beer

By Sarah Hamaker

MIAMI—Since its inception, Mendez Fuel in Miami has become the hub of the local neighborhood craft beer community.

“We’ve known for our menu of beers within the community of south Florida, but hadn’t done our own private label beer before,” said Michael Mendez, who owns the chain with his brother, Andrew. “We felt we’ve grown enough of a fanbase within the community and that everyone trusts us with craft beer that it was a good time to dip our toes [into] private label[s] of our own branded beer.”

The Mendez brothers worked with a local brewer, Tank Brewing Co., to develop the beer.

“We had a good relationship with them because we were the first to carry their beer when they launched,” Michael Mendez told NACS Daily. From the first meeting to the finished product, it took only a couple of months because Tank Brewing “gifted us a recipe they were already working on” to create the Mendez Fuel brew, he said. “It’s an easy drinking beer that everyone can appreciate, very crisp, and we felt it would work well for our first private label beer,” Mendez said.

Mendez Fuel Specialty Lager debuted in December. The Mexican-style lager with a 4.5% alcohol content by volume is an ode to the people, the culture, and the relationships Mendez Fuel has forged in its almost seven years of curating its craft beer selection at its four Miami locations.

“We’ve had a very good response from customers for the beer,” Mendez said.

Mendez Fuel will roll out a couple of more beers later this year and is already working with Tank Brewing again. “We want to have some additional brews ready before the end of the year to take advantage of the holiday season,” Mendez said.

The branded beer label is part of an overall emphasis Mendez Fuel is putting on private-label offerings. The retailer already has store-branded pastry products and crowler beer cans. “In the next couple of months, we’ll be launching our private-label grab-and-go sandwiches and salads,” he said. “I definitely see us as developing more of our own private-label products in the future.”

Mendez Fuel was featured in the 2017 Ideas 2 Go video series. Watch it here. Read the NACS Magazine profile of Mendez Fuel, “Not Your Father’s Convenience Store,” in the April 2017 issue and more about Mendez Fuel and beer trends in “Hazy, Sour & Hard” in the March 2020 issue.

Sarah Hamaker is a freelance writer and NACS Daily and NACS Magazine contributor based in Fairfax, Virginia. Visit her online at www.sarahhamaker.com.

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