Crafthouse Cocktails Announces Distribution Expansion
Crafthouse Cocktails, a pioneering RTD cocktail brand co-founded by world-champion bartender, Charles Joly and trailblazing bar owner/restaurateur, Matt Lindner, today announces a range of distribution expansion news taking effect in the coming months.
Crafthouse has been selected as a core spirits supplier with Whole Foods, expanding distribution with the markets to 23 states. And in Illinois, all 183 Jewel-Osco stores will now carry the Gold Rush, Rum Old Fashioned, Paloma and Moscow Mule 750ml bottles.
Select Walmart locations in FL, MI, MO and AZ will carry “Crafthouse on Tap,” the brand’s fast-growing 1.75L boxed cocktails, beginning in May of this year and in Wegmans, all 4 varieties of 1.75L boxed cocktails (Pineapple Daiquiri, Moscow Mule, Spicy Margarita, Smoky Margarita) will be available in all outlets that sell spirits.
Additionally, as an expansion of their successful partnership with Virgin Voyages, Crafthouse Cocktails’ full range of formats are featured on the Valliant Lady, the newest ship in the fleet that just launched its inaugural voyage.
On the e-commerce side, the brand has launched with Reserve Bar, the leading 3-Tier Compliant online alcohol marketplace.
In support of new retail partnerships, Crafthouse has also expanded distribution agreements with industry leaders Breakthru Beverage Group and RNDC, resulting in product availability in more than 40 states.
An independent brand, Crafthouse Cocktails is the only RTD in the marketplace available in such a variety of formats: 200ml screw-top aluminum cans, 750ml glass bottles and 1.75L boxes. This allows the products more usage occasions than any other RTD on the market.
“Since day one our priority has been crafting and bottling bar-quality cocktails for everyone to enjoy,” said Lindner. “This expansion of our distribution channels is a huge step in that direction, and we’re excited to bring the best the category has to offer to a larger audience.”
The news comes on the heels of Crafthouse Cocktails’ strategic partnership with Dolphin Entertainment Group, which now manages all aspects of publicity and marketing for the brand through its supergroup and facilitates talent and commercial relationships within the entertainment and culinary industries.
“As a bartender, building this brand has always been about creating delicious, balanced cocktails with the finest ingredients,” adds Joly. “As we continue to grow so many years later, quality will remain our first priority.”
There were a handful of other RTDs in 2013, but Crafthouse’s commitment to quality was a key differentiator that helped spark the premiumization of the category. Joly and Lindner focused on replicating the drinks they were making for discerning bar patrons, using small-batch craft spirits in place of malt base, nixing the excess sugar and sticking to all-natural ingredients. This ground-breaking proposition seems obvious so many years later, but it was highly innovative at the time.