Fever-Tree has enjoyed another year of massive growth, which has been driven by new formats and occasions for at-home drinkers.
Now as people gain more and more confidence in going out again, rather than reverting back to old habits, Fever-Tree is confident it can help bars take advantage of shifts in consumer behavior away from simply grabbing a beer or wine and instead opting for a long, mixed drink.
Andy Gaunt, Fever-Tree Australia’s General Manager told Bars and Clubs: “I think what is pretty certain is that consumers across all generations, particularly younger consumers in their mid-20s and mid-30s are really enjoying the diversity of flavours of spirits in a way that they haven’t done before.
“As people do now get back into the on-trade and they’ve had a great time playing around with cocktails and trying new spirits, are now back in pubs and bars and they are enjoying someone else making them a great gin and tonic or cocktail.
“We don’t know just how sticky some of the at-home consumption behaviours will be, but I personally feel that the habits that have been formed in the last year of making a long, tasty mixed drink, rather than just grabbing a beer or a wine is going to stay around for quite some time.
“That’s really encouraging for our business but it’s also encouraging for the spirits industry and for bars and for those of us who are doing what we can to support this side of the industry.”
He added that the rise in at-home spirits consumption is a great opportunity for bars to really elevate their spirit and mixer serves.
“This is an area that we as a business are really looking to focus on from an education perspective, and that is how to ensure that as customers come back into the on-premise and they are looking to explore spirits that the spirit and mixer serve is premium.
“I think we’ve got to be aware that giving consumers great value in the on-premise doesn’t mean cheapening the drink, it means thinking about how we elevate that spirit and mixer service. Also feeling confident to charge a bit more for it, and really delivering a great experience is a really important angle for the continued growth of spirits into the on-premise.”
Gaunt also said that consumers are understanding there is now more choice with their mixers and that it’s an affordable premium, especially as they are choosing to spend more on their choice of spirit, that having a really great mixer with that makes sense.
“There’s an ability and interest from consumers to pay more, so the opportunity for the on-premise is to encourage choice and to let people know there is choice.
“The post-mix gun that is ubiquitous is there and there is a reason it’s there, but anyone who’s looking to take advantage of the way consumers are drinking and choosing spirits and premiumising their choice of spirits, we feel there is a great opportunity there to offer them a great mixer and to feel confident about charging a bit more for it.”
The Fever-Tree team has worked successfully with retailers in understanding their shelf space and offering premium mixers in different flavours and formats to consumers and Gaunt told Bars and Clubs there is absolutely the same opportunities for bars to maximise their shelf space.
“Our Mediterranean Tonic is now the number one Fever-Tree tonic SKU in the on-premise, just overtaken Indian Tonic. That’s showing that consumers are not just wanting one type of tonic water with one type of gin, they are looking for a bit of choice.
“I think the opportunity with the on-premise is to think about how their shelf space and fridge space they have is optimised and making a little bit more room for mixers is probably a very compelling way to drive some additional profitability and to give consumers what they are looking for.”
