Ready-to-Drink Cocktails are Growing Fast
Canadian craft producer Black Fly
credits quality and convenience for driving sales
LONDON,
Ont. — They’re easy, they’re accessible and, most importantly, they taste
great.
Put those three
factors together, and it is easy to understand why there continues to be
consistent growth in the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) pre-mixed drinks sector in
Canada. According to Statistics Canada — which classifies RTD beverages in its
Ciders, Coolers and Other Refreshment Beverages (CCORBs) category — sales
increased more than 8% from 2016 to 2017, and have increased an average of 6.4%
annually over the past five years. While beer remains the strongest alcohol
sector in Canada in volume and sales, RTDs are the fastest growing.
“Ready-to-drinks
are a hugely important sector in Canada’s beverage alcohol industry, accounting
for more than $254 million in sales in Ontario alone,” says Cathy Siskind-Kelly, who co-founded Black Fly
Beverage Company in 2005 with her husband Rob Kelly. “When we were starting
out, we saw how Canadians were embracing craft beer and realized there was an
opportunity to introduce craft-produced spirit based RTDs.”
Statistics
Canada’s annual report on the Control and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages,
released last month, revealed that the Ready-to-Drink sector collectively sold
167 million litres in 2016-17, an increase of 6.8% over the previous year. That
is equivalent to 20 bottles of pre-mixed drinks for every Canadian over legal
drinking age.
While Beer sales have been relatively flat in Canada, RTD sales
increases are more than double what is seen in wines and spirits. For Black
Fly, a significant brand in the RTD space, growth has far outpaced the category
as a whole at more than 23-40% compounded growth for the past six years.
Black Fly was the first company in more than 100 years to
receive a distillery licence in Ontario. It’s small batch craft mixed drinks
are made with quality ingredients like vodka, tequila, rum, whisky and gin,
real juices, cane sugar (not HFC) and are significantly less sweet than
traditional RTDs. This recipe for success has propelled Black Fly to be the
seventh largest domestic producer of RTDs in Canada.
“Today’s RTD consumers are savvy,” says Siskind-Kelly.
“But it’s about more than convenience. People want quality. When it comes to
entertaining, having a variety of bar-quality, spirit-mixed drinks provides an
instant bar that people can be confident their guests will enjoy. Best of all,
without having to stock all the ingredients and take time to mix cocktails,
serving quality RTDs let’s you spend your party enjoying the party.”
Based in London,
Ont., Black Fly Beverage Company has an extensive roster of more than 22 RTD
mixed drinks sold in every Canadian province and eight U.S. states. These
include signature flavours like Black Fly Vodka Cranberry, Tequila Margarita
& Vodka Grapefruit sold in Black Fly’s unique non-breakable 400mL bottles
in four-packs and a variety of cans. New 2018 flavours include Vodka Mixed
Berry (four-pack) Vodka Crushed Orange (473 mL cans) and a new line of
ultra-light drinks that has Black Fly flying off store shelves. Lemon Lime
Vodka Soda Fizz and Grapefruit Gin Soda FIZZ mixed drinks, Black Fly’s lightest
and least sweet offering, are available across Canada in six–pack 355 mL cans.
“Everything is
about convenience, quality, value and of course great taste in our category,”
says Rob Kelly. “It is a booming sector that has broad appeal across age
groups, and for good reason.”
For more
information, please visit blackflybooze.com.
Connect with Black Fly Beverage Company on social media — Like it on Facebook,
Follow on Twitter @BlackFlyBooze and
Instagram @blackflybooze.
About Black Fly
Beverage Company
Since 2005,
after receiving the first distillery license granted in Ontario in more than
100 years, Black Fly has launched more than 22 flavours of craft produced,
significantly less sweet vodka, tequila, rum and gin mixed drinks that include
flagship flavours like Black Fly Vodka Cranberry, Tequila
Margarita, Vodka Grapefruit and Long
Island Iced Tea. Consumers have embraced this unique brand that
continues to innovate and deliver bar quality mixed drinks in a host of great
formats that include bottles and cans. All Canadian craft-produced Black Fly
mixed drinks are made with real juices, lightly sweetened with cane sugar (not
high fructose corn syrup), blended with real spirits (6% or 7% alc./vol.)
including Mexican Tequila. In addition to Black Fly’s highly popular signature
400mL bottles (in four-packs), and trendy Black Fly Sours in single serve 473
mL cans, Black Fly’s newest drink creations are ultra light and extremely low
in sugar at half the sweetness of their previously least sweet Vodka
Cranberry. Black Fly Lemon Lime Vodka Soda
Fizz and Black Fly Grapefruit
Gin Soda Fizz mixed drinks that launched this
spring in 355mL 6-packs are creating a buzz for this innovative company. Today
Black Fly is sold in every Canadian province and territory and eight U.S.
states.