• by Erik Oster , September 27, 2023

In partnership with the Coca-Cola company, Molson Coors brewed up a new product to round out its lineup of hard teas.

Peace Hard Tea, an alcoholic adaptation of the Coca-Cola-owned Peace Iced Tea brand, rolls onto convenience and retail store shelves across the Southeast this month, with an initial lineup of three flavors of 5% ABV hard tea sold in 24-ounce cans: Freedom of Peach, More Peace More Lemon, and Really Really Razzy.

“Spend a little more time offline and make living life your full-time job. Peace Hard Tea is here for when you buck the norms that kill fun,” Joy Ghosh, vice president of Molson Coors’ flavored malt beverages, ready-to-drink, and hard seltzer Above Premium Flavor department said in a statement that hints at the products’ target demographic and marketing messaging.

According to Molson Coors’ Beer & Beyond blog, the company is the number two maker of hard teas in the country, and is seeking to further fuel growth in a market segment that grew 30% year-over-year to $1.3 billion, according to  Circana.

Peace Hard Tea fills out MolsonCoors’ existing hard tea lineup alongside its Arnold Palmer Spiked brand. MolsonCoors also revealed that the Arnold Palmer brand will revise its “Now That’s Well Played” campaign next year, including new TV ads, and introduce new strawberry and mango flavors as part of a variety pack.

Peace Hard Tea’s initial release in the Southeast represents part of a regional marketing strategy to fuel the company’s growth ambitions, as it markets its Arnold Palmer Spiked brand, which the company claims has seen five years of growth, in the Northeast and Midwest.

The strategy is built around the brand’s strong performances in the regions in question, combined with a perception that the Peace Hard Tea will connect with consumers in the Southeast region -- where convenience store sales are particularly important.

According to Circana data cited by Beer & Beyond, Arnold Palmer Spiked grew  by 13.1% in the Northeast and more than 25% in the Great Lakes region, in the 26 weeks that ended Sept. 10; and flavored alcohol beverages as a category grew 30% by volume in the Southeast compared to last year.

“Hard teas are soaring, and we’ve been busy building a clear strategy that capitalizes on that momentum and builds incrementality,” Peace Hard Tea senior marketing manager Josh McDonald told Beer & Beyond.