#LOVERBOY DRINK UPGRADE#

As the company began to grow and scale, we knew it was imperative to open up our distribution channels not only to reach new consumer audiences but also to ensure we were readily available in markets that were widely popular with our “Summer House” audience.

KC: We knew Loverboy would have instantaneous awareness being featured on the show because it’s memorable and colorful. How has this affected your growth? Where have you found the most success? This flagship product boasts bold flavors made with organic brewed tea, real juices, and monk fruit as a natural sweetener, which many hard seltzers and teas don’t use and is a true differentiator for us.įB: You initially launched Loverboy in traditional distribution channels and then more recently introduced a few DTC products. The hard tea category is now growing more rapidly than seltzers, so we were able to capitalize on this in developing our hero product - Loverboy’s Sparking Hard Tea. We knew that Twisted Tea was a popular option among a different consumer segment, and we saw a huge market opportunity in this category knowing it was 20 years behind on innovation.

#LOVERBOY DRINK UPGRADE#

With this insight, we started thinking about how we could upgrade the traditional hard seltzer – and that was through tea. Meanwhile, hard teas at the time were malt-based and packed with excessive amounts of sugar and calories. They all tasted similar and lacked real flavor, ingredients, and personality. KC: When Loverboy launched in 2019 with its flagship hard tea product, there were only a handful of hard seltzer options available in the marketplace. Our brand’s ethos is all about enjoying life’s best moments and having fun (something we were already doing on “Summer House”), which is prevalent throughout all our products, merch, and branding you see online and in-stores today.įB: Tell us about your flagship product and what makes it stand out in the market? Loverboy was inspired by my interest in nutrition and a desire to create a better-for-you drink that tastes great. Ultimately, what did resonate with Bravo’s audience was the products we were drinking. The irony was that eating and drinking well was the last thing on our minds in the Summer House so it became counterintuitive to try and integrate it into the show. When the opportunity to be on Bravo’s “Summer House” came about in 2017, I was working on a nutrition coaching app that I thought would align well with Bravo’s audience. There were some startups I worked on that never saw the light of day. You have to be ready to take a loss and move on, and stay driven and motivated through that. In between, I got my MBA at Babson, which was an amazing opportunity to build some business acumen in the classroom.Īs an entrepreneur, you have to trust your gut and acknowledge that sometimes you’re going to be wrong. I then worked in a variety of industries (healthcare, insurance, and real estate), primarily on the startup side. In college, I ran a contracting business painting houses. My first entrepreneurial endeavor was selling cutlery when I was 18. Kyle Cooke: I’ve always been very entrepreneurial. We caught up with Loverboy’s founder Kyle Cooke to learn more about how he’s capitalized on an organic marketing strategy, where he sees the omnichannel lifestyle brand in the next 3-5 years, and more.įorceBrands: How did your entrepreneurial journey start? What inspired you to launch Loverboy?

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