The weather is breaking in parts of the U.S., and people are anxious to get outside and meet up. White Claw Hard Seltzer is hoping to capitalize as friends begin to mingle after a year of pandemic lockdowns.
The boozy beverage brand is introducing White Claw Surge, available in blood orange and cranberry flavors, which takes summer sipping to a new level with its 8 percent alcohol content, a 3 percent jump from existing products. John Shea, chief marketing officer at White Claw Hard Seltzer, said the brand was inspired by its consumer base to create the new line of beverages.
"We've got the biggest fanbase, extremely passionate. We don't have to look too far when we're looking for new inspiration on new products," Shea told Cheddar. "They're vocal about it and we've got kind of built-in consumer research just by following social media, so that's where we take our lead."
The brand is also rolling out a line of alcoholic iced teas that will be available in lemon, raspberry, peach, and mango. Those teas, however, will retain the typical 5 percent alcohol content.
With demand for hard seltzer on the rise in the U.S. Shea said the company has already taken steps to make sure there is enough product heading to store shelves by building two "breweries." He said the factories will help the brand remain the leader in the hard seltzer category.
"There's been a big wave into the hard seltzer market. Last year at this time we had about six competitors. Now there's about 170. White Claw's bigger than all of them combined. So our fans have really gotten behind the product and are looking for new innovation, and that's what we're bringing to them," he said.
Shea said the company plans to maintain its position at the top of the hard seltzer category by continuing to listen to its consumers and elevating its offerings with quality products.
"It really starts with the liquid, an amazing, refreshing liquid, and then for White Claw, it's just about pure uncomplicated fun. It's a simple product, light flavors, really refreshing," he noted.
U.S. airlines have canceled more than 6,000 flights since Christmas eve, causing headaches for travelers.
Airlines cited staffing shortages amid the omicron outbreak as the primary reason for the interruptions to service. The cancellations come at the busiest time of year for air travel. Steve Shur, President, The Travel Technology Association joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Dr. Soumi Eachempati, co-founder and CEO of Cleared4 and former professor of surgery and public health at Weill Cornell Medical College, joined Cheddar to breakdown what people should know about the recently FDA-approved emergency use of Merck and Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment pills. He noted that not only do people need to be aware of other medications they are taking that could cause adverse effects if coupled with COVID-19 pill treatments, he also talked about the intense in-take regiment. "The Merck pills are actually about 40 pills over five days. The Pfizer ones are three pills over five days, so people have to be prepared for that because it is a lot of pills you'll have to take to get full value from these drugs," Eachempati told Cheddar.
Adult-use cannabis sales kicked off in Nevada in 2017, but four years later, there isn’t a legal way for the 40 million tourists who visit the state annually to consume. That’s all about to change. Following the passage in June of a bill to legalize consumption lounges, the world’s largest dispensary, Planet 13, is planning a cannabis club as extravagant as Las Vegas. Cheddar’s Chloe Aiello visited the cannabis entertainment complex to find out more.
Eric Mitchell, sports analyst and co-founder & head of media relations at Lifeflip Media joins Cheddar News to discuss how covid-19 is impacting pro sports.
David Slotnick, Senior Aviation Business Reporter at The Points Guy joins Cheddar News to discuss how airlines are handling holiday travel amid the recent coronavirus surge.
A new study from a Russian university finds that LEGO sets can be a lucrative investment, rising in value by 11 percent every year, a faster and better rate of return than gold, stocks, bonds, and wine. Victoria Dobrynskaya, associate professor of finance at Higher School of Economics University and author of the research, joined Cheddar to discuss the findings. "In general, most sets tend to appreciate after they're retired, after you cannot find them in LEGO stores," she said. "They tend to appreciate on the secondary market after a couple of years."
