Suntory Aims To Become The Number 1 Ready-To-Drink Company In World

Forbes

a day ago

Eric Schuetzler shows off some of Suntory's RTD offerings, including -196 and On the Rocks. Suntory
Suntory wants to be the number one ready-to-drink company in the world.
'Suntory's ambition is to be the number one RTD company in the world,'says Carol Robert, managing director U.S. ready-to-drink at Suntory Global Spirits.
'RTD as a category continues to grow exponentially,' says Eric Schuetzler, vice president of global research and development. 'We believe this trend is here to stay. We believe this is going to be a huge part of the beverage space for us to play in.'
Right now, Suntory is ranked third globally, and it is the number one RTD company in Japan, also leading in markets like Australia, Germany and Canada.
As a company, Suntory has been in the RTD space for decades. 'RTD development at Suntory is backed by more than 100 years of distilling, blending and flavor mastery,' Robert says. 'We used that expertise to enter the RTD space in the early 1990s with a gin and tonic offering and a Super Chi-Hi.'
'RTD development at Suntory is backed by more than 100 years of distilling, blending and flavor mastery,' Robert says. Carol Robert
In 2005, Suntory introduced the -196 Vodka Seltzer in Japan in 2005, and 'we have continued innovating since then,' Robert says.
Earlier this year, the -196 line unveiled in the United States. 'The U.S. is a priority market,' Schuetzler says.
That priority makes sense. Grand View Research says the U.S. ready-to-drink cocktail market size is estimated at $903.4 million in 2024 and is expected to reach $1.03 billion in 2025, It's projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 15.4% from 2025 to 2030, increasing to $2.11 billion by 2030.
According to IWSR, the RTD category is forecast to more than double its 2019 share of total beverage alcoholic servings by 2028.
'RTDs are popular with many different consumers because they offer a wide variety of options and meet so many different needs,' Robert says. 'We do see that RTDs are especially popular among younger generations who are seeking exciting flavor experiences but do not want to commit to a full bottled spirit.'
Flavor expertise and technical prowess will help Suntory grow its market share, Schuetzler and Roberts say. For example, for -196, Suntory uses a freeze crush process in which whole fruits - lemons, strawberries, etc - are frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius. 'That's 11 times as cold as your freezer,' Schuetzler says. 'We're getting the whole fruit infused into the vodka. That makes the final product deliver something no one else can.'
On the Rocks is a bartender-led ready-to-drink brand. Suntory
Another innovative brand in the Suntory line is On the Rocks bottled and canned cocktails. 'We just launched a new campaign for On The Rocks called 'Make It A Cocktail,'' Robert says. 'The campaign challenges the idea that cocktails are only for special occasions.'
Growth for Suntory will be fueled by authenticity and quality, Schuetzler says. 'We don't have to shield anything when we talk about our RTDs,' Schuetzler says. 'If you look at any RTD in our portfolio, you should see the products in it, in the way it's represented, and in the way that you perceive it when you consume it.'
'Our goal is to deliver extraordinary experiences for consumers, so that means continuing to expand On The Rocks and -196 with new flavors and to develop new-to-the-world offerings, too,' Robert says.