A combination of unique flavors, persistence and innovation is leading an Asian American brand to have stellar growth.
In the five years since Nectar Hard Seltzer first launched, the brand has become ranked as the “number one Asian flavored alcohol drink in the country,” according to data from NielsonIQ and Circana. “This is despite only having distribution in eight states,” says Geng Wang, who co-founded the brand with John Dalsey, Jeremy Kim, and Brando.
Nectar has also enjoyed 130% year over year growth, and its newest product, SoJuice, a ready to drink (RTD), high alcohol by volume (8.8%) soju juice cocktail that features unique Asian fruit pairings like Yuzu Umeboshi and Calamansi Watermelon, White Peach Rambutan and Lychee Lime, is doing well. Early traction shows that it is performing as a top 8-pack SKU in Southern California, the brand reports.
Nectar is right on trend. Asian flavors are becoming more popular, according to Kerry Digest. “Asian fruits such as yuzu, passionfruit, kumquat, Fuji apple and longan are trending based on Kerry’s Taste Charts.” Kerry Digest expects global alcohol flavors to grow. “In fact, consumer demand for alcoholic beverages have surged in recent years due to the introduction of of new and unique flavors.”
Nectar’s flavor lineup is exactly what successful RTDs are doing. Wine Business notes that in the RTD category, “Successful innovation will go beyond traditional flavors.”
That’s actually what Nectar’s mission statement is: “Beyond Tradition.” “It has a double meaning: to subvert stereotypes and expectations held for the Asian-American community, both internally and externally,” Wang says. “And to develop products and marketing campaigns that are out of the box, especially when it comes to drink industry norms.”
“It’s a guiding principle for everything we do,” says Dalsey.
That’s why, after the founders received rejections from 200 stores, they started posting videos on TikTok. “It was to reach a community we knew had to connect,” Wang says.
It’s also why they launched with a phone number – fans can still text the brand directly – and had thousands of conversations one-on-one with people to build the brand.
The next evolution for the brand to reach consumers is through Nectar Radio, which they launched with a live activation at Zippy’s, a beloved restaurant in Hawaii.
“The way consumers have been interacting with music has been shifting,” Dalsey says. “YouTube has become a powerful channel for all sorts of artists and DJs to create and share with the world, making incredible music discovery and mixing more accessible than ever.”
Wang says it matches Nectar’s philosophy and practice of introducing and expanding Asian fruit flavors to the RTD market. “Nectar Radio is a music channel that builds culture with Asian and Asian-American DJs and sounds in the dance music world,” he says “It’s something that hasn’t existed as a collective just yet despite the massive amount of Asian consumers in the EDM scene.”
“We want to help facilitate the development of this flourishing community by highlighting these artists, from up-and coming talent to legendary names, on our channel,” Wang adds. “It’s a way to share joy through music and Nectar.”
Nectar radio, including their activation at Zippy’s, can be found on the brand’s website, as well as YouTube. Nectar Radio will continue with new activations. “The road map then would be to take this Nectar Radio platform that we’ve developed and bring it to major festivals around the country,” Wang says. “It aligns with our overarching mission to bring Asian flavors to different kinds of dance music communities and become the catalyst for creating more cultural opportunities at existing events.”