Some new soda choices will soon be on U.P. retail shelves, since
Griffin Beverage has signed a new agreement with
Reed's, Inc. which makes specialty ginger ales, root beers and natural sodas.
They make Reed's and Virgil's brands of natural sodas, which are the top-selling sodas in natural food stores in the U.S. Griffin says it plans to distribute the brands to all their retail customers, large and small, in the U.P. and northern lower Michigan.
"We continue to responsibly and methodically build out our distribution system throughout the US and Canada. The addition of Griffin Beverage Co. as new partners will help us penetrate deeper into all channels of business in the Michigan market. This is a consumer demographic that will truly appreciate the strength and uniqueness of our Reed's Ginger Brews and Virgil's Root Beer," says Neal Cohane, senior VP of sales and marketing at Reed's.
The announcement comes after Reed hired a new central region VP of sales, David Howard, who Cohane credits with opening up many new distribution opportunities in the Midwest for the company.
As for the products you might soon see on store shelves, they include six non-alcoholic ginger beers that are brewed, rather than manufactured like typical soda. They use fresh ginger, spices and fruits in the brewing process, according to Reed's. They also make Virgil's Root Beer and China Cola, two leading natural sodas, and ginger candies and ice cream.
Griffin Beverage is based in downstate West Branch and has office and warehouse locations in St. Ignace and Marquette in the U.P., in addition to its three downstate locations. The company was founded in 1967 and serves almost half of Michigan.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Neal Cohane, Reed's, Inc.
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