Coca-Cola has restructured Red Tree Beverages, a subsidiary that oversees the company’s alcoholic beverage businesses, for a new alliance with spirits behemoth Sazerac Company, to spur growth in the expanding U.S. spirits market.
Through the partnership, Minute Maid Spiked, Fresca Mixed, and the soon-to-be-released Fresca Hard will all be produced and distributed by the family-owned American alcoholic beverage company.
Sazerac’s production experience and scale, established sales network, distribution management, and enduring brand stewardship will be combined with Red Tree Beverages’ marketing and brand-building expertise. Additionally, the new agreement gives privately held Sazerac a substantial portion of Coca-Cola’s alcoholic ready-to-drink portfolio in the United States. Given the expansion of the alcoholic ready-to-drink market, industry analysts have forecast robust growth for Red Tree Beverages in 2026.
Vodka Spritz and Tequila Paloma are two RTD cocktails made with grapefruit soda that Fresca Mixed introduced in 2022. They come in 355ml cans and have an alcohol content of 5%. Since its debut, Red Tree Beverages and Constellation Brands have worked together to develop the alcoholic version of their Fresca soda.
BrandSpur news brand reports that Red Tree Beverages is getting ready to introduce Fresca Hard, a 99-calorie malt beverage with no added sugar, early next year, which coincides with the change in the spirits partner.
