Rory brings American sparkle to local health conscious consumers

Rory King returned to his hometown of Downpatrick late last year from stints living and working in Vancouver and New York with a smart idea for a new business.

Rory (28) developed a taste there for hard seltzers, low calorie/ low sugar/ low carb alcoholic drinks designed to meet the growing demands of health conscious consumers there.

He brought the beverage home with him and has just launched ‘Grizzly Irish Hard Seltzer’ for health conscious consumers in Northern Ireland and the Republic. It is a novel product developed in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, a problem that certainly faze the ambitious young businessman.

“While living in North America, I first came across the hard seltzer product and was immediately impressed. And after seeing hard seltzers fly of the shelves in both Canada and the US, I had a vision of building a business here by bringing the seltzer idea back and launching an Irish version,” he explains.

“While the pandemic was obviously a concern, I was confident in the new product and determined to do whatever I could to bring it to market. I didn’t let the pandemic get in my way.”

After graduating in Sports Science at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich in 2016, Rory spent some time teaching in various parts of the world including Fiji. He subsequently decided on a career switch and gained a post as international sales manager with a leading producer in the Republic of Irish cream liqueurs that carried forward an interest in travelling.

“I spent four years working for an Irish brand from Navan, Co Meath. This took me to New Zealand, Denmark, Canada, Cyprus and New York City. This was a fantastic experience and a real learning curve for me in the drinks’ business, in sales and management. I worked abroad for 10 years altogether,” he continues.

His background in sports and nutrition also influenced his interest in hard seltzers.

“With more people striving to live a healthier lifestyle, the concept of a gluten-free hard seltzer really is a no brainer. It is a healthier alternative to drinking alcohol without any compromise on taste.”

Hard seltzers are made from fermenting natural cane sugar, adding water, adding flavouring and carbonating. They tend to be low calorie/ low carbs and low sugar. They are also rich in fruit flavours. Hard seltzer is predicted to generate sales of over £2 billion in the US next year.

Rory decided to come home because it was “time to do so”. “I had been thinking of using the experience I had gained in the Irish liqueur business and the contacts I had made to start a small business producing Irish hard seltzers. Starting a new business from scratch was a daunting challenge. However, I had business contacts in Canada to turn to for advice and other support,” he continues.

Rory then spent six months researching his business idea and especially establishing if there was a market opportunity for such a novel beverage on the island of Ireland.

He created the recipes for the first three flavours – strawberry and lime, mixed berries, and lemon and lime – which he reckoned would suit Irish tastes. He then had to line up an alcoholic beverage business to produce the original products.

An established brewery in Dundalk with a canning line expressed interest in the product and agreed to take on production of the seltzer on a contract basis.

The next challenge was to come up with an attractive brand for the new products. “I started asking contacts in business along with family and friends to name the seltzer.

“I wanted a short and concise name, something that referenced North America where I first came across hard seltzers. We bounced a lot of ideas around until a friend suggested Grizzly. I loved it and that was it. My Irish hard seltzer would be known as Grizzly,” adds Rory.

The small business has been running since June and benefiting from the relaxation in lockdown which has enabled Rory to get about and drive sales. He’s also signed up with Noreast in Dundalk, a successful beverage distribution business.

“Within the first six weeks, Grizzly was listed by over 100 shops on the island of Ireland including a major retail chain. There has been an incredible reaction to the hard seltzer drinks so far. Consumers have been enjoying the refreshing, crisp, light and healthier drink.”

What does the future hold for Rory? “I have a huge ambition to export across Europe within the next six months. We are taking it day by day at the moment. Our priority is to establish the products in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We’ll look at sales abroad when we’ve got a solid and successful presence on the island,” he concluded.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you