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Tho Q Mixers may have lost some traction in recent years, move of Fever-Tree brand into Molson Coors distribution network has created new opportunities for Q and other rivals amid debate over whether wine & spirits or beer networks are inherently better suited to managing alcohol-adjacent mixers. As noted above, fellow UK brand Franklin & Sons has been on a growth tear, entering houses that may have lost Fever-Tree while expanding its portfolio to more of the occasions worked by rival. Betsy Frost, who took CEO reins at Q Mixers in late 2024, similarly sees opportunity, as Fever-Tree exited what she termed "powerhouse" Southern wine & spirits network, making it now more of a 3-way on-premise race between Fever-Tree/MC, Owen's Mixers in Southern and Q splitting distribution between RNDC and Breakthru. (It retains Molson Coors house Manhattan Beer in its core market NY after having been incubated in early days by A-B house Union Beer.) Retail duties are mainly managed by broadliners UNFI and KeHe. For high-end mixers, some market observers give the edge to wine & spirits houses on account of their tite ties with those crafting new libations at influential on-prem accts, tho beer houses bring undeniable reach into mainstream bars and retailers. MC just is undertaking first major campaign behind Fever-Tree brand (BBI, Apr 10).Among other activities that Frost hopes will help Q pick up a head of steam, it undertook recent branding refresh that brings more pop to shelves while restoring some key elements that had been lost in recent tweaks, as she recounted during last month's Natural Products Expo West, between saying hello to visitors arriving for late-afternoon cocktails at Q booth. Not least, in synch with co's premise of offering complete solution, not just mixers, it used show to debut line of canned Q Refreshers (BBI, Mar 2). That's 7.5-oz electrolyte-infused line that contains 100 mg sodium, 150 mg potassium and 10% daily value of magnesium along with vitamins C, B2, B3, B6 and B12 to help absorb the electrolytes. Devised to be drunk neat or mixed with alcohol, the line is breaking in Pineapple Passion, Raspberry Lemon, Watermelon Lime and Peach Nectarine flavors. Frost believes it should fit in with many users' "zebra-striping" regimens, where they alternate between alc and non-alc libations over course of an outing.Frost is no stranger to alc-alternative segment after extended roles at Dry Soda and then Hoplark before coming to Q as successor to Bacardi and Mondelez vet Bob Arnold, who moved on after less than 3 years (BBI, Dec 6 2024). Among key directions co is taking from listening to its consumers is to offer more fruit-forward entries, considering that so many newer cocktail drinkers are arriving from the RTD space. She'd observed that there's been surprisingly little available for these new arrivals. Founder Jordan Silbert, who launched brand nearly 2 decades ago fresh out of college, continues in innovation role, maintaining longtime focus on flavor and simplicity of ingredients.Tho Q seems to have lost some ground at retail in recent years, it still boasts some powerful and committed partners. It's national at both Kroger and Safeway/Albertsons and also has strong presence in regional chains Giant and HEB. Kroger, Giant and HEB were among retailers to run with new Q Refreshers line. It's hoping to stimulate sampling by launching a mix-pack for first time. To build awareness, it's also hopeful about new move onto American Airlines flights with its Club Soda, Tonic and Margarita entries. Co backed by Eurazeo and other institutional investors has undertaken a Series G fundraise to build inventory behind American launch and take final steps to attain profitability, Frost indicated.

EXPO WEST: Seeing More Balanced Race after Fever-Tree Exited Southern, Q Mixers Revamps Look, Adds Refreshers Line to Regain Momentum; Prioritizes Fruitier Entries for Users Teethed on RTDs

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