Wawa Keeps Brewing Up Success

 

Success does leave clues and Wawa has picked-up a lot of them and shared many of them. The team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® and our Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson believes Wawa is one of if not the best run C-store chain in the U.S. at driving new electricity into it brands and customer base.

So, now Wawa is toasting the grand opening of its newest beer store with the release of Shore Tea, its latest collaboration in partnership with Cape May Brewing Co. Ok, what is Shore Tea?

Here you go, Shore Tea is made with Wawa's signature Peach Iced Tea and Cape May's iconic adult libations, Shore Tea is a hard tea beverage that is "lip-smackingly refreshing with just the right amount of sweet kick," according to the convenience store retailer.

All the ingredients are naturally gluten free and the beverage has 4.5 percent ABV and contains no peach juice.

Wawa Senior Manager of Concept Development Michael McLaughlin, stated, "We're excited to stretch our wings and fly south to the New Jersey Shore to partner with Cape May Brewing Co. to produce our first-ever hard tea with a customer favorite: Wawa's Peach Iced Tea,"… "Wawa's Peach Iced Tea captures the aroma and flavors of biting into a freshly picked peach at the height of ripeness, and pairs it perfectly with the warm carmelic tones of our Signature Black Iced Tea. Fragrant, juicy and sweet with just the right amount of acidity and a sweet tea finish."

Garnering A Larger Share of Stomach

Wawa Continues to Drive Success

As part of the celebration, Wawa and Cape May Brewing Co. will have a "tea-shirt" giveaway for the first 100 guests while supplies last. Customers will also have the chance to meet the brewers, including McLaughlin and James Fox, director of brewing operations for Cape May Brewing Co.

Fox stated, "We approached the process of making this tea similar to how we make our seltzers. We kept it simple, just like if you were going to make tea at home. Fortunately, we were able to use the same ingredients that Wawa uses in their peach tea," … "After the alcohol was added, we had several benchtop trials to dial in the ratios and flavors. We are really happy with how this turned out; it's easy to forget that it's hard tea."

Limited quantities of Shore Tea are available in six-packs containing 12-ounce cans for $12.99. The brew will be sold exclusively at the following Wawa beer stores starting July 21:

A launch party for Shore Tea was held on July 23 at the Cape May Brewing Co. Tasting Room. The event will include live music, a Wawa and Cape May Brewing Co. "tea-shirt" giveaway, and Wawa pretzels and Wawa Peach Iced Tea non-alcoholic pint giveaways, while supplies last.

Note: Shore Tea will be available at select retailers starting July 25.

Ryan Krill, CEO and co-founder of Cape May Brewing Co, stated, "We were excited when Wawa reached out to us with the possibility of collaborating. We're huge fans, and many of our crew members make Wawa a regular part of their routines," said "We're thrilled that we have the opportunity to continue to expand into the hard beverage space with an incredible partner to bring fans a product that they'll love."

Customers and fans can also enter a social media sweepstakes for a chance to win a VIP brewery tour of Cape May Brewing Co. Two winners, for up to four guests, will receive Wawa swag and access to Cape May Brewing Co.'s production facility, which features a newly redesigned canning line and automated tray former, expanded cellar, and more. The tour is guided by one of the brewers who will give an extensive overview into the entire brewing process, from milling and raw materials to crafting beer, centrifuging, canning and kegging, and testing finished product in the lab.

How is your brand driving new electricity?  According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, smaller footprint, developing brands, fresh flowers, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable according to Johnson.

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information.