Molson Coors Beverage Company and The Coca-Cola Company are celebrating a thriving partnership marked by the launch of successful new products. Representatives from both beverage giants delivered this message at the annual Molson Coors distributor convention in Orlando.
Michelle St. Jacques, Chief Commercial Officer for Molson Coors, highlighted Molson Coors' momentum beyond beer, emphasizing their ambitions in spirits, innovation, non-alcoholic products, and key partnerships, such as the one with The Coca-Cola Company.
Molson Coors' collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company commenced in 2021 with the launch of Topo Chico Hard Seltzer (inside.beer, 18.3.2021) and expanded in summer 2022 with the launch of Simply Spiked inspired by the country’s #1 chilled juice brand, Simply. (inside.beer, 25.1.2022)
"We've been really proud of the success we've had with Coca-Cola, launching Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and Simply Spiked," said Sofia Colucci, Chief Marketing Officer of Molson Coors. Over the next year, Molson Coors plans to build on the momentum of Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and the Simply Spiked brand with refreshed packaging, new campaigns, and innovative flavors for both brands. "Our focus is to make sure we nurture these brands and continue to grow them," Colucci added.
This partnership not only reinforced Molson Coors' commitment beyond beer but also provided a new avenue for The Coca-Cola Company to expand its reach beyond the non-alcoholic category, according to Dan White, the company's Chief of New Revenue Streams.
"It's been a wonderful relationship," White expressed. "We're here to grow the business together [… and] we're committed to the industry structure as it is today," White affirmed. "We'll do it responsibly with the authorized brands we have."
Molson Coors and The Coca-Cola Company's next venture is Peace Hard Tea, a fruit-forward hard tea beverage inspired by Peace Tea, renowned for its vibrant flavors and free-spirited branding.
Peace Hard Tea is a non-carbonated beverage with 5% alcohol-by-volume and will feature three enticing flavors: More Peace More Lemon (lemon-flavored tea), Freedom of Peach (peach-flavored tea), and Really Really Razzy (raspberry-flavored tea), catering to the preferences of legal-age drinkers who favor hard teas.
Peace Hard Tea will hit shelves in September and will be available at local convenience stores and retailers in the Southeast Region of the U.S. in 24-ounce single cans.
The announcement comes amid Molson Coors' exceptional 2023 performance, with July seeing the company's best quarterly results since the formation of the Molson Coors joint venture in 2005. Michelle St. Jacques, Chief Commercial Officer for Molson Coors, emphasized that flavor has become their top priority beyond the beer aisle.
"We are winning in flavor," St. Jacques stated proudly. "Molson Coors was the second-fastest major brewer in flavor, largely due to the success of the Simply Spiked brand. In fact, Simply Spiked Peach was the No. 1 new product in Q2."
