NEW YORK — On Nov. 15, Anheuser-Busch announced its new partnership with Hoop Tea, an Ocean City, Maryland-based beverage company known for its iced tea infused malt beverages and tea-infused seltzers, inspired by the founder’s love for beach culture. Hoop Tea will join Anheuser-Busch’s rapidly growing Beyond Beer portfolio which is a major growth driver within the industry.
“The team at Hoop Tea has created an incredible brand with an even better product offering,” said Fabricio Zonzini, Beyond Beer President, Anheuser-Busch. “I look forward to working alongside Hoop Tea’s founder, Danny Robinson, and Vice President, Billy Gillman, to develop and grow the brand to its full potential.”
Hoop Tea was born from the mindset that the beach isn’t only a geographic location, but a way of living. From beach bars up and down the east coast to landlocked states without shores in sight, Hoop Tea evokes the laid-back beach culture of Ocean City, Maryland with each and every sip.
Hoop Tea will continue to offer consumers great-tasting spiked teas in flavors like White Mango, Watermelon Mint, Pineapple Passionfruit, and Peach Tea Lemonade. The brand will continue offering Hoop Tea Aire hard seltzer flavors in Goji Berry Green Tea, Orange Hibiscus and Kiwi Berry. The brand offers a variety of SKUs including single-serve cans, variety packs and ready-to-share pouches.
“Joining Anheuser-Busch is a perfect fit for us because we share a culture of daring innovation and strategic growth,” says Danny Robinson, Founder & CEO of Hoop Tea. “Hoop Tea’s roots were planted in a laid-back beach town and we’ve relentlessly strived to build and develop our brand over the past several years. Working with the team at A-B is like hanging out with old friends and we’re excited to do some really cool things together.”
With leading brands that include Cutwater Spirits, BABE Wine and more, Anheuser-Busch’s Beyond Beer portfolio has captured more than $1 billion in revenue over the last three years through a combination of organic brand building, strategic acquisitions, and innovative partnerships (IRI MULC w/e 7.4.21).
Hoop Tea will continue to be led by founder and CEO Danny Robinson, who has joined the team at Anheuser-Busch along with the company’s Vice President, Billy Gilman. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Photo assets can be found below (Credit: Alex Ashman).
