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Seltzer Boom Due to Marketing and Health Seltzer Boom Due to Marketing and Health

Seltzer Sees Spike in Beverage Industry

By Sierra Ryder

SIERRA RYDER: Its now the beverage of choice for many Americans.

CATHERINE GRYGIEL: I love spiked seltzer I don’t know anyone who doesn’t.

RYDER: And Catherine Grygiel isn’t alone.

BARRY JOSEPH: So it’s seltzer, an alcohol, a long tradition. but the idea of putting it together in a bottle or a can, in replace in place of something like beer is something i never saw coming.

RYDER: According to Barry Joseph the author of seltzertopia a book documenting seltzer and its history. today’s tremendous seltzer popularity was largely not expected.
JOSEPH: And I never expected the kind of rise of interest that we saw.

RYDER: And today seltzer products are one of the biggest selling beverages in the U.S. According to business insider, in 20-20 the canned hard seltzer rose 43% globally…and there are no signs of a slowdown. in a recent analysis by the international wine and spirits record. By 20-23 the ready to drink hard seltzer category alone will more than triple. producing over 281m cases. outperforming other alcoholic choices like beer and wine. this burst of the bubbly beverage comes down to a few key factors.

JOSEPH: One is traditional seltzers association with health as being both good for you and better than the other things you might drink.


RYDER: For consumers like Catherine Grygiel…health is one of the major reasons she grabs a seltzer over a beer or soda.

GRYGIEL: They are low calorie, easy to drink at most places…go to for a lot of people.

RYDER: But health isn’t the only factor. Another major reason for the popularity is the marketing.

JOSEPH: Initially, it was their ability to develop a people centered marketing campaign using social media, like on Instagram to really let their consumers be the face of the brand and then drive that interest to where they are today.

RYDER: But how long will this seltzer craze last? That all depends on how it evolves.

JOSEPH: So you always have to ask yourself, so what’s next? no one thought 110 years ago thought they’re gonna be making hard seltzer.

RYDER: Breweries might have the answer…with the creation of craft seltzers.
local Syracuse brewery Willow Rock launched their own line of seltzer last year aiming for a high quality version of the refreshing drink.

ROCKNEY ROBERTS: Just like we saw with beer i thought there was an opportunity to make some really unique fun flavors and do it in a quality way.

RYDER: An idea that seltzer feens welcome.

GRYGIEL: I think that a craft seltzer is such a unique market to get into and i would love to see breweries tap into that.
RYDER: With seltzer now becoming a billion dollar industry ….expect to see seltzer for years to come.

GRYGIEL: I would choose a seltzer all day everyday.

RYDER: The drink moving beyond just a summer trend and into a year round drink.
Sierra Ryder, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Seltzer is now a billion dollar beverage industry, overtaking popular beverage options like beer and wine.

Barry Joseph, author of the book Seltzertopia, said this rise was not expected.

“Throughout the history of seltzer, people have mixed it with all sorts of things,” Joseph said . “I never expected the kind of rise of interest that we saw. Nor did I expect it to be sustained as long as it has.”

One of the main reasons the bubbly drink has a new spark of interest is from the way the newest brands have marketed the product.

“It has nothing to do with seltzer anymore, at which point, it’s just a brand. So brands will come and go, people’s interest in a certain type of product will come and go and that will shift,” Joseph said.

According to Joseph, the word seltzer is a new occurrence as well.

“It’s actually quite new that they’re even call calling it seltzer 20 years ago, they might have called it sparkling or bubbling, they wouldn’t have used the word seltzer,” Joseph  said.

Another reason for the rise in interest in the product is due to the health benefits.

“They are low calorie and easy to drink for a lot of people,” Catherine Grygiel, a frequent seltzer consumer, said.

As the beverage evolves into new renditions, local breweries are tapping into the seltzer market producing craft seltzers.

“It’s about pushing boundaries trying different mashups but making sure at the end of the day you are staying true to what it is, which is a hard seltzer” Rockney Roberts, co-owner of Willow Rock Brewery, said.

According to Grygiel, the option of a seltzer at a brewery is something she would love to see.

“When I go to a brewery the only non beer option is a cider so I think a craft seltzer is a unique market to tap into,” Grygiel said .

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