Born at the crossroads of culture, SouthNorte Brands continues accelerating the pace of its growth and innovations with the announcement of its entry into the ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail category. Founded in 2016 as a small craft beer company, SouthNorte has now evolved and is bringing the flavors of Mexico to RTD cocktails in an authentic way. This year, SouthNorte will offer ultra-premium canned cocktails inspired by the bold flavors of Mexico alongside their preexisting well-rounded beer portfolio of import-style lagers & craft beers. With Paul Cummins at the helm, and John Gallegos as majority owner, the brand enters the RTD cocktail category that allows consumers to enjoy the essence of Mexico with three tequila based cocktails – Paloma, Matador and a Mexican Mule – crafted with natural and high-quality ingredients.
At the forefront of this endeavor is seasoned advertising executive and entrepreneur, John Gallegos. Gallegos’ desire to push the envelope while infusing sensibilities of his Mexican heritage has come to fruition with the expansion of SouthNorte’s portfolio. Since its inception in 2016, there has been an expressed passion for positioning this lifestyle brand in a distinct way that pushes the bounds through its Mexican-inspired flavors and allows all cultures to intersect.
In December 2019, Gallegos increased his investment and became majority owner of SouthNorte, allowing the company to focus on the acceleration of the company’s creative marketing efforts, expansion into new territories, and the appointment of Paul Cummins as SouthNorte Brand’s President. Through Gallegos’ vision, the moment is ripe to position SouthNorte as a leader not only in the RTD cocktail category, but as a culturally attuned brand built to satisfy consumers’ thirst for discovery.
“Ready to drink cocktails are capturing consumers’ hearts and interest, as such we expect there be explosive growth in the category. This parallels the increased consumer demand for Tequilas, Tequila-based cocktails and all things authentically Mexican,” said John Gallegos, founding partner and majority owner of SouthNorte Brands.”SouthNorte is ideally positioned to capitalize on the trends with our portfolio expansion into ultra-premium tequila-based cocktails that are inspired by the flavors of Mexico.”
Authenticity is not just a word to the brand, but it is who they are. SouthNorte’s desire to share Mexican culture with others is expressed throughout their entire process. The authenticity of Mexico is carefully crafted into every can through the quality, colors, taste and design.
“Undeniably, the trend for RTD cocktails accelerated in the wake of the pandemic,” said Paul Cummins, President, SouthNorte. “We saw an opportunity for SouthNorte to pave a new path forward and expand our flavor portfolio. For an increasingly omni-cultural generation, flavors and associations are tickets to places, feelings, ideas they may have never otherwise experienced. It’s an exciting time for us to leave an imprint in this category.”
All Good Things Come in Three
The premium crafted experience comes in both solo and variety packaging, allowing consumers to easily choose which flavors of Mexico to savor, whenever and wherever they please. SouthNorte’s eye-catching and colorful can is designed with an homage to Mexico, featuring the traditional and decorative papel picado. The refreshing, tequila-based cocktails include:
- The Paloma: A cocktail that combines blue agave tequila with refreshing red grapefruit, infused with fresh lime.
- Mexican Mule: A cocktail that blends blue agave tequila, ginger beer, lime and a hint of jalapeño.
- Matador: A cocktail that mixes blue agave tequila with natural pineapple and fresh lime.
SouthNorte canned cocktails are expected to hit shelves Spring 2022. For more information about SouthNorte’s new canned cocktails or their award-winning beer portfolio, visit @southnorte on social media or www.SouthNorte.com.
Terry Bunch
