Two New Bud Light Rita Flavors Hit The Market

Hoping to capitalize on the success of Bud Light Lime-A-Rita, Straw-Ber-Rita and the seasonal Cran-Brrr-Rita, Anheuser-Busch In-Bev has added two new permanent flavors to its lineup of Margarita-flavored malt beverages: Mang-O-Rita and Raz-Ber-Rita. The new flavors are hitting shelves nationwide on March 3.

At a time when overall beer volumes are flat and consumers–especially millenials–are turning to the variety offered by craft brews, wine and spirits, A-B InBev says the Ritas franchise is helping to capture some of the consumers who are looking outside the beer category. The company’s vice president of innovation Pat McGauley tells CNBC that 40% of the Rita sales volume has come from outside of beer. Since it has the Bud Light name on it, the Ritas attract people who are interested in the Bud Light brand, but they are also drawing in folks who may not have been in the brand’s franchise before, McGauley says.

Launched in 2012, Bud Light Lime-A-Rita became the second-best selling new product launch that year, behind Bud Light Platinum. Straw-Ber-Rita followed the next year and became the largest share gainer in the beer industry in 2013.

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With the new flavor releases, A-B InBev is pushing sampling by rolling out a Mix-A-Rita 18-pack, which includes six Lime-A-Ritas, four Straw-Ber-Ritas, four Mang-O-Ritas and four Raz-Ber-Ritas. The company is also planning more seasonal flavors in the future.

Read the full article here.

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