LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles-based modern alcohol brand Jiant announces their expansion to the Southeast region. Currently distributing in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina, Jiant will also be adding Virginia to their roster in the coming months. Since 2019, Jiant has taken pride in crafting responsibly sourced refreshing hard kombucha and hard teas and has quickly created an expansive network with top-tier distributors and retail partners such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Albertsons, Total Wine & More, and Sprouts. In addition to the newly launched Southeast states, Jiant is currently available throughout California, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Texas.
In partnership with distributors Atlanta Beverage, Ajax Turner, Tryon Distributing, and Specialty Beverage, Jiant’s beloved hard kombuchas and hard teas will be available in major retailers across the Southeast including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Total Wine & More, with more to follow. To support the expansion into the region, Jiant has brought on Sierra Nevada veteran Eric Rogers as National Accounts Manager who will lead the beverage brand’s highly anticipated new chapter in the Southeast.
“We are incredibly excited to have Eric join our national account team and give Jiant a greater presence in the Southeast region,” says Jiant Senior Director of National Accounts, Andrew “Mac” MacLeod. “Eric is coming in with fresh ideas that will help us build on our momentum. Jiant’s depletions are +100% YTD and we are the 2nd fastest growing Hard Kombucha brand in the top 10 nationally.” (Source: Total U.S. xAOC C-store, Liquor, Military 8 weeks ending 2.26.2022)
Newly appointed National Accounts Manager Eric Rogers began his career at Miller Brewing Company as a Sales Representative, and then joined Craft Brew Alliance where he quickly moved up the ranks from Regional Sales Manager to Key Account Manager in the Mid-Atlantic region, before continuing on to Mike’s Hard Lemonade as Key Account Manager in the Southeast Region. Rogers began his residency at Sierra Nevada in 2015 as the National Account Manager for the convenience channel where he showed double-digit growth over the last five years.
“The conscious consumption demand by consumers will continue to grow. I love what Jiant is doing with full transparency of their ingredients and the brand is really in a class of their own with regard to the quality of the liquid. I couldn’t be more excited to join the Jiant team and do my part to bring this amazing brand to our retailers,” says Rogers.
Jiant continues to be a force in the ever-evolving beverage industry. In addition to their core lineup of hard kombuchas, in July 2021, Jiant launched their immediately popular hard teas, with freshly brewed organic tea that is fermented 100% dry prior to adding a splash of real fruit juice. This results in a light and refreshing 5% ABV sparkling plant-based beverage with only 100 calories and less than 2 grams of sugar. Like Jiant’s hard kombuchas, Jiant’s hard teas are gluten-free and brewed with organic and non-GMO ingredients. The quality of the beverage shines through each and every sip, offering an overall experience that is deliciously fresh and flavorful.
ABOUT JIANT:
Founded in 2019 by Larry Haertel Jr and Aaron Telch, Jiant views tea and botanicals as the perfect canvas for a new kind of adult beverage, one that doesn’t rely on conventional ingredients and has a nutritional profile more aligned with what today’s consumer wants. Their approach to hard kombucha, and now hard tea, is traditional in process but unconventional in results, offering beverages that are expressive and interesting while remaining accessible and surprisingly light.