At Wawa Innovation is Inspiring Brand Growth

Once again, the C-store industry this winter is looking at Wawa watching, and wondering, how it is brewing up new innovation while expanding its proprietary beverage offerings. There are few companies that evolve with consumers as well as Wawa according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Wawa understands success clues and has seen how other fresh food retailers are successfully partnering to drive innovation and growth so they are giving it a try according to Johnson. Wawa is adding on to its craft beer line in partnership with 2SP Brewing Co. that currently features Winter Reserve and will include three new brews: Coffee Cake Reserve Stout, Reserve and Snowbird Reserve Vanilla Porter, according to news reports.

The beers will be launched with a multi-state Brew Tour that will stop at four Wawa c-stores and 2SP Brewing through February. Stops on the tour include:

·         Friday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. — Wawa, 721 Naamans Creek Road, Chadds Ford, Pa.

·         Saturday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. — 2SP Brewing, 120 Concord Road, Aston, Pa.

·         Thursday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. — Wawa, 1073 Baltimore Pike, Media

·         Friday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. — Wawa, 3100 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Va.

·         Thursday, Feb. 20, at 4 p.m. — Wawa, 3660 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa, Fla.

Wawa described the beers as:

·         Winter Reserve: A creamy stout redolent of sweet clove, dark chocolate and graham crackers

·         Reserve Reserve: An English-style oatmeal stout, aged in Weller bourbon barrels for nine months, with robust flavors of vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, and reserve coffee

·         Coffee Cake Reserve Stout: An oatmeal stout with notes of vanilla bean, cinnamon spice, brown sugar and Wawa’s Winter Reserve Coffee

·         Snowbird Reserve Vanilla Porter: A robust dark beer with sweetness provided by malted barley, coffee, and a scent of vanilla

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Winter Reserve will be available at select Wawa stores in Pennsylvania and, for the first time, in Virginia and Florida; Winter Reserve and Reserve Reserve will be on sale at locations in Chadds Ford and the soon-to-open Middletown Township, Pa., location, as well as available for a limited time at beer retailers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware; Coffee Cake Reserve, a 2SP collaboration with Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, will be sold at Wawas in the Richmond region; and Snowbird Reserve, a 2SP collaboration with Coppertail Brewing, will be available at Wawa c-stores in Florida.

Wawa debuted Winter Reserve at the Naamans Creek Road location on Dec. 6, 2018. The location was the only Pennsylvania Wawa that sold the beer. Outside of Wawa stores, the beer was exclusively distributed to bars and liquor stores in the state's Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, Chester and Bucks counties.  How are you expanding your brand?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.