Actor Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and director Richard Peete (Karen Dalton: In My Own Time) are following in the footsteps of the anti-superheroes of Marvel’s film Thunderbolt, and teaming up to bring people something different from what the status quo expects: a ready-to-drink cocktail with that doesn’t blow your socks off.
The Marvel actor felt that the hard seltzer market had little to offer 30-somethings and parents who weren’t looking for a sugar rush every time they relaxed next to the lake. So in a market where the average ready-to-drink alcohol beverage contains more than 20g of sugar, having a drink that contains only 2.4 grams of sugar and 109 calories is a welcome change of pace.
“They were all overly sugary. You have two of those and you’re blasted or you get a sugar rush,” Wyatt Russell said. “We thought, ‘there’s got to be a way you can flavor it with something that’s subtle, more like a sparkling cocktail, and still have fun flavors,’ so that’s how we started.”
The Marvel actor and director of the jaw dropping documentary Karen Dalton: In My Own Time found inspiration for the product and brand in memories of their lake-side family vacations. As a result, both product and brand are aimed at a quiet consumer market who are more likely to appreciate the subtle flavors of craft beers than sugary cocktails while they’re sitting back and simply enjoying the moment.
At the moment Lake Hour offers a limited range with four exciting flavors: Honeysuckle Ginger, Rosemary Yuzu and Peach Jasmine, all made with vodka; and Watermelon Cucumber, made with blanco tequila.
These flavors weren’t based on intense consumer research or AI-driven analytics. They were simply what the founders (and Richard Pete’s wife) found most enjoyable while mixing flavors to see what worked for them.
“We didn’t sit down and try to do what most would like or what there was a market for, we just picked the one we liked the most, knowing we wanted it to be unique,” Peete said.
As a result, each Lake Hour cocktail becomes a uniquely nuanced product based on personal experiences.
And as a continuation of that down-to-earth approach to launching a brand, Lake Hour is keeping its distribution on a small scale for its first phase, retailing only at select liquor stores and bars as well as the official Lake Hour website. The argument behind the decision is that this will allow the company to focus on the customers they already have and expand incrementally over time.
Private label brands can learn a lot from Lake Hour’s launch, both from their willingness to put their founders’ own experiences in the products and limiting their market scope to build relationships that truly mean something … even if it is for a smaller market segment. The undeniable truth is that Lake Hour is starting out as a brand that understands itself and refuses to budge or cash in on trends for the sake of making a quick buck.
Just like the lasting impact of both Russell and Peete’s films and series, Lake Hour seems ready to make a lasting impact in the beverage industry.
Give us a call if you’d like to talk about your brand’s journey and how wholesale and bulk sourcing can help you create the foundation for a lasting mission.
