SAN FRANCISCO – Ficks Beverage Co., makers of the first hard seltzer flavored with real fruit juice, expanded distribution to the Seattle region and Texas, after securing a distribution deal with Northwest Beverages and beginning to sell into Texas supermarket chain H-E-B’s 340 stores. The two regional expansions mark a pivotal next step for Ficks, which debuted its real fruit hard seltzers in 2018 to the West Coast market, as a follow-up to their successful line of low sugar cocktail mixers.
“We’re thrilled to enter the Seattle and Texas markets,” said Co-Founder/CEO Ron Alvarado. “The fruit from our blackberry and cranberry seltzers are sourced from the Pacific Northwest, and our grapefruits are grown in East Texas, so we’ve come full circle in that we can now offer Ficks in these regions.” While Alvarado and Co-Founder/COO Mike Williamson run the business from San Francisco (with manufacturing in San Jose), Williamson has personal ties to the Seattle region, as a King County native himself. Hops & Vines will be distributing Ficks Hard Seltzer in the Texas market.
With the hard seltzer category’s exponential growth in 2020 as well as the timely entry of established alcohol brands like Corona and Budweiser, Ficks aims to take advantage of growing consumer interest while cornering the “craft seltzer” market. Same store revenue growth is over 300% for Ficks Hard Seltzer this year, a sign that its real fruit taste is resonating with consumers. The Ficks formula combines real fruit juice with a proprietary alcohol base of fermented California oranges, which was inspired by the production methods of Sonoma Valley winemakers. The final product offers a unique selling proposition to alcohol consumers in search of higher quality ingredients, less reliance on chemical preservatives, and a smoother taste due to a lack of malt liquor.