Chill Beverages International, owner of the Fitch & Leedes brand, has grown in leaps and bounds since launching its first mixer in 2001 — thanks in large part to the explosion in the popularity of craft gins and other high-end spirits.
In SA the traditional mixer range spans tonic, lemonade, soda water, ginger ale and bitter lemon. Last year Fitch & Leedes launched a selection of craft sodas, taking on global heavy-hitters such as Schweppes and Coca-Cola.
Grant Hobbs, MD of Chill Beverages, says the company believes its sodas and other mixers can improve the "experience, value, enjoyment and lifestyle" of consumers.
Hobbs joined the company as its second shareholder in 2005 and was later joined by his brother. The company was bought in late 2017 by Long4Life, the company run by dealmaker Brian Joffe that invests in the leisure and lifestyle sectors.
Those operating in this highly competitive market segment play their cards close to their chests but Hobbs estimates the market for non-cola mixers in all formats is about 5-million litres a month.
About 90% of Chill Beverages' sales are local and 10% international. Hobbs says he would like to invert the ratio in time.
"We never in our wildest dreams thought our brand would resonate with so many South Africans over the last decade."
Hobbs says it took the company a while to hit its stride after the 2001 launch.
"As the gin revolution unfolded, people were looking for something better to mix with their premium, artisanal gins. People were spending good money on really top-end gins and you need to mix a top-end gin with a top-end mixer," says Hobbs.
"You can't spend R400 on a bottle of alcohol and then put it with something that detracts. The hero of the drink is the gin, and then comes the complement of the mixer.
"The flavours in a well-distilled spirit are subtle. The thing is to develop a mixer range that would not kill the subtlety in a well-produced and sophisticated spirit. We believe a really good mixer does not overpower the spirit."
The brand is exported to 14 countries. There are nine sister brands in its portfolio, including energy drink Score Energy and recent launches Mi Fulvic Water and Chateau del Rei, which is a naturally sweet, sparkling wine sold in cans.
Hobbs says it is "early days" for Chateau del Rei, but it is "showing good re-orders". Wine-in-a-can is popular in the US, especially among millennials, because it is cheap and portable, not to mention "Instagrammable".
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