My Drynuary: 'Our jobs are very fast-paced - there's no traditional playbook as we are building something new'
After 10+ years building lifestyle brands at PBR and White Claw, co-founders Anthony Spina and Matt Sievers saw an acceleration of what had already been happening within their communities and beyond: 'the natural cross-pollination of the once separate alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage categories'. Their response was to launch the multi-pack of multiple ABV hard seltzers: allowing drinkers to seamlessly switch from full-alcohol to low-alcohol and alcohol-free.
Founded in 2021, the brand launched with Black Cherry and Mango each in a multi-ABV flavor variety pack.
BD: What do your drinks taste like?
The First Inclusive Drinking System includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options with similar flavor profiles throughout the 0%, 5% and 8% ABV.
Slightly less carbonated than traditional seltzers on the market and infused with electrolytes, the mouthfeel provides a refreshing and palatable drinking experience.
What markets can we find System in?
We are currently available on the ground in Illinois and Wisconsin, available to ship online to 45 states across the US, and also offer same day delivery in Chicago and New York.
Launching in the Midwest was strategic as it gives us a reverse-engineered window into a real-time look at just how deep of a cultural shift the Inclusive Drinking and Sober Curious movement really goes.
Most trends start on the coasts and then permeate the Midwest, which historically is a heavy drinking region.
We are seeing and feeling the momentum here which is inspiring for what is to come as growth accelerates.
You launched as Primer and have now re-branded as System - how will this help you develop the brand?
We were given an opportunity to step back and really define what name reflected our core ethos, vision and reason to exist for being the first native total beverage brand in the industry. We felt that System truly represented that, even more so than our original name. Being in the infancy of our brand we couldn’t miss that opportunity to change our name, knowing it would be much harder to do so later on.
What do your jobs involve?
As founders, every day is different and dynamic and can include working hand-in-hand out in the market with our wholesalers, working with key retailers, engaging with our community, developing creative, etc. It is very fast paced, especially when there is no traditional playbook as we are building something that does not exist in the industry.
January has traditionally been a month to cut out alcohol - so what does the month look like for you?
January has been great so far as we have an opportunity to highlight our 0% offering, 'The First Non-Alcoholic Hard Seltzer™'. But we see a world where it is not solely all or nothing when it comes to drinking alcohol. 'The First Inclusive Drinking System™' goes beyond January to redefine how we all engage with drinking alcohol as a society moving forward.
And what should we look out for from your company in the rest of 2023?
We are beyond excited for 2023 as we are in full-on growth mode. Our e-comm launches in early January which meets the consumer demand to order System to 45 states across the US. We have a new non-alcoholic extension set to drop in Q2, new strategic partnerships and exploring expansion states to our some gas on the fire of consumer demand.
What inspires you on your low/no alcohol journey?
We developed System Seltzers for the drinking experience we wanted but didn’t exist yet, so we decided to create it. One of our biggest inspirations is our community and being able to bring something new to the beverage industry, drinking culture and world as a whole.
We love the multi-ABV variety packs because there are endless combinations and we are constantly surprised to see new use cases daily. It really is a discovery experience for people, fun and also provides something for everyone whether you are drinking or not.
