America’s Seltzer Obsession Shows No Signs of Fizzling
Many thanks to journalist Jamie Ducharme for quoting me in her Boston Magazine article on the Seltzer trends. A link to the article is here and an abstract is below.
Greg
“Our lemon seltzer literally has three ingredients: lemon essence, water, and bubbles,” explains Lisbet Crowley, brand activation manager at Polar Seltzer. That’s it—three ingredients. So why is everybody obsessed with the stuff?
It’s not just Polar, and it’s not just lemon. While the Worcester giant has arguably made New England the capital of seltzer consumption—it’s got one of the biggest cult followings in the business, and expats have cases of the stuff shipped cross-country—seltzer is thriving across flavors, brands, and regions. According to Nielsen research, sales rose by 21.6 percent just in 2015.
Those figures don’t lie, says Gregory Stoller, a professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. “People are trying to make healthier choices, including limiting, reducing, or eliminating soda and sugary drinks from their diets,” he explains. “Seltzer has penetrated alcoholic sales, too, providing another revenue stream, further capitalizing on seltzer’s popularity.”
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