South Africans appear to have bucked a global trend towards hard seltzers, with sales growing only moderately.
In 2019, hard seltzers, defined as ready-to-drink sparkling alcoholic water or spiked water, took the global market by storm as many drinkers opted for them for health reasons.
Hard seltzers often have fewer calories, less sugar and lower alcohol. They are infused with spirits including rum, tequila and vodka.
By 2021, South Africans had joined this conscious drinking trend, leading to the rise of locally produced hard seltzers such as Vawter by Heineken Beverages, Flying Fish Seltzer, South Side Hard Soda and Skinny Seltzer.
South African Breweries, which produces the Flying Fish seltzers, say they have experienced moderate growth within a small consumer base and they remain a relatively niche subcategory.
“The light and refreshing category is underdeveloped in South Africa, with consumer preferences leaning towards flavourful and refreshing drinks, together with bar-quality cocktails,” said SAB’s vice-president for marketing insights Leanne Martin.
According to Statista, the hard seltzer market peaked in 2022 in South Africa.
Years after they were launched, seltzers are only available at selected liquor outlets across the country.
“We continue to innovate to meet the evolving needs of local consumers as there are many who are actively seeking the low-calorie benefits of seltzers. However, there are other options on the market that can deliver the same benefit,” said Martin.
The Pura Beverage Company, which makes low-calorie sodas using only natural sugars and flavours, as well as children’s drinks, introduced a hard seltzer to its line in July 2021 known as Pura Buzz.
In a statement shortly after the launch, Pura’s founder and CEO Greig Jansen said there was a growing preference among consumers for natural ingredients.
“Our newly launched Pura Buzz is an ideal introduction to South Africa’s hard seltzer phenomenon, offering consumers the option of a slightly better-for-you, great tasting, and unique hard seltzer that satisfies their needs,” he said.
However, Jansen told Business Times that the company no longer produces alcoholic beverages as it focuses on its core business of nonalcoholic drinks. He cited marketing as one of the challenges the company faced when introducing the product.
“We were just playing around with the idea. We only produced one batch of the Pura Buzz, and we didn't make more after that. It was only available on the market for a few months.”
With the hard seltzer sector projected to grow by 3% over the next five years, Jansen said relaunching the beverage was a possibility for next year.
South Side Hard Seltzer, produced by Ingwe Beverages, has also been discontinued, the company told Business Times.
According to Statista, the hard seltzer market peaked in 2022 in South Africa, when the sector made more than R200m, dipping to R180m in 2023, and is now valued at R201m.
In contrast, the US market for these beverages is booming, with sales expected to generate more than R160bn this year.
Based on research, White Claw was the best-selling hard seltzer brand in the US in 2023, with sales of close to R36bn and more than 49-million cases sold.
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