Harpoon Brewery pushing soda as well as its beer By Jon Chesto (The Patriot Ledger) BOSTON - Finally, Rich Doyle is selling something that his kids can drink, too.
The CEO and co-founder of the Harpoon Brewery first guided his beer-making company into the soda business nearly three years ago with the limited distribution of soda made at the company’s Windsor, Vt., brewery.
But this year, the 20-year-old South Boston company is expanding its soda distribution in New England, partly by devoting a full-time employee just to oversee the company’s soda business.
Don’t be surprised if you see that familiar Harpoon logo next to other sodas in a convenience store, grocery or cafe near you: Harpoon, according to Doyle, has essentially doubled the outlets where its soda is sold, from roughly 125 in March to about 250 right now. About 75 of those locations are Shaw’s Supermarkets stores.
The company no longer makes its soda in-house because its two brewery operations are too busy keeping up with the demand for Harpoon beer, Doyle said. Instead, Harpoon now contracts with a company in Central Massachusetts to make the soda.
‘‘It’s a business that’s got tremendous potential,’’ Doyle said. ‘‘We’re not getting into the soda business because we ran out of things to do in the beer business. ... If our beer business wasn’t going so well, we probably would have focused on this sooner.’’
Harpoon soda comes in three flavors: root beer, cream, and orange and cream. The soda typically sells for $6 for a six-pack of bottles.
Doyle said his two kids helped inspire the original ‘‘Vermont Draft’’ soda that Harpoon started brewing about three years ago. ‘‘They have ideas about soda like I had about beer 20 years ago,’’ Doyle said.
He was also impressed when he noticed beer makers in other parts of the country successfully producing regional soda brands.
Last year, the company dropped the ‘‘Vermont Draft’’ name in favor of its flagship beer brand. ‘‘One of the things with having Harpoon on the product, there’s a lot of (name) recognition,’’ Doyle said. Doyle said he doesn’t plan any big marketing blitz to support the growth of the company’s soda sales. Instead, Harpoon plans to get the word out about the soda through public giveaways and the strategic placement of the products at stores in Greater Boston and Vermont.
‘‘There are some very successful brands and products that took a long time to build,’’ Doyle said. ‘‘You build a tremendous connection with your customer by doing it that way.’’
John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest in Bedford Hills, N.Y., said the soda market is a tough one to enter, especially because it is dominated by three companies - PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Co. and Cadbury Schweppes. It’s much tougher to tap into demand for premium soda than it is for premium beer because most consumers aren’t looking for alternatives to the major soda brands, Sicher said.
‘‘Premium sodas have never made much headway in the U.S.,’’ Sicher said. ‘‘(A beer company) has to have a deep pocket and a stout heart to try to get into the soda business.’’
But Harry Schuhmacher, editor of Beer Business Daily, said several craft brewers have successfully expanded into premium sodas. ‘‘It’s kind of the microbrew model taken to the soft drink industry,’’ Schuhmacher said.
He said he expects others might follow Harpoon’s lead if Harpoon succeeds with its soda.
‘‘Rich Doyle is one of the smartest people in the beer business,’’ Schuhmacher said. ‘‘I think anything he does will be well thought-out and will be emulated by other people.’’
As far as Doyle is concerned, he just seems happy that his kids - his daughter is 15, and his son is almost 12 - can brag in school about a product they are allowed to drink.
‘‘I’m a hero in their school,’’ Doyle said. ‘‘I think I’ll be a hero in their college someday, too.’’
Jon Chesto may be reached at jchesto@ledger.com .
Copyright 2006 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Tuesday, July 25, 2006 |
