Claffey’s Cocktails CEO Sits Down With Seltzer Nation To Talk Wine-Based Hard Seltzers

Seltzer Nation: We know that a lot of our fans at Seltzer Nation are going to be excited to learn more about your company and your new products. So tell us a little bit more about Claffey’s Cocktails and your new line of wine-based hard seltzers.

Chris Claffey: Our brand promise is to bring people together in the spirit of fun. Our original product, Claffey’s Frozen Cocktails, is a wine-based freezer pop combined the favorites of our younger days and added the right mix of wine and other natural ingredients to create a nostalgic, adult frozen cocktail. From there we are innovating left and right, and one of our main products that’s blowing up right now because of that same natural flavor set are our wine-based seltzers.

Seltzer Nation: What made you choose wine as the alcohol base for your Claffey’s Seltzer Cocktails as opposed to some of the other options that your competitors are using?

Chris Claffey: For me, flavor is paramount. Our wine-based seltzers have to be pure, amazing, and delicious. Every effort leads itself to a perfect product that competes against all the noise that’s out there with other seltzers. Claffey’s has a smooth, beautiful finish and no malt aftertaste. It’s already made with grapes, so when you add our amazing fruit sets it just completely contributes to the overall aroma, flavor, and enjoyment

Seltzer Nation: What do you have in store for Claffey’s Cocktails moving forward? What are some of your aspirations and things you hope to accomplish not only with your wine-based hard seltzers but as a company?

Chris Claffey: As a company, we’re set to innovate. I think we want to be known as the leader in the wine-based RTDs (ready to drink cocktails). But our seltzer is our mainstay now. It’s our big focus for 2021 and launching off of the amazing success and brand awareness we’ve gotten from our Claffey’s Frozen Cocktails. The Claffey’s Seltzer Cocktails are poised to be the big win for us. We’re getting more outreach from customers than we’ve ever experienced and it’s very humbling.

Seltzer Nation: We’re certainly excited to hear that Claffey’s will be focusing more on seltzers and that those will be your flagship product going forward. Which brings us to probably the most important part of the interview. The fans of Seltzer Nation are definitely going to want to know, what flavors do you currently offer in your wine-based hard seltzers?

Chris Claffey: I’m from the Philadelphia area, born and raised. If you know anything about our major sports teams, we’re a challenging group to impress. Right? By starting here and getting the acceptance over the Philly-based consumer first, it’s proven our concept and ultimately led to wide-ranging consumer acceptance very quickly across other markets in the United States. The flavors that we’ve tried and tested with a lot of the groups starting here locally, before expanding across the Midwest and all the way over to Hawaii. We have four major flavors in our variety pack. There’s Blackberry Acai and Modern Mango, which are exceptional. It’s just pure fruit flavored. It’s made with all-natural fruit. Claffey’s is non-GMO, made with all natural flavors and has no added sugar. It’s just an amazing, pure finish. No aftertaste whatsoever and Kosher certified. Our third flavor is Lime Time, which is just the pure effervescence of that classic lime and seltzer combination. The last one — which I feel is our most innovative flavor — is our Tropical Paradise flavor. It’s a pure mix of coconut and pineapple, but the pineapple really stands forward. It’s really hard to put down.

Seltzer Nation: And to follow up on your flavors, does Claffey’s have any new wine-based hard seltzer flavors in the pipeline?

Chris Claffey: We do have some new ones that I’ll share with you right now actually. The two innovative flavors that we’re coming out with this year in select markets are going to be our champagne-grapefruit seltzer, with some Prosecco notes. The second one we’re introducing is Watermelon Mojito. I’m actually somewhat hesitant to announce our Watermelon Mojito as I’m sure there will be copycats. But we are super excited about that one because it’s so juicy and fruity, but then it also has that pure mint kick to it. It’s really amazing!

Seltzer Nation: Before we wrap up today, Chris, please tell our audience where can they find your Claffey’s Seltzer Cocktails currently, and what markets you might be expanding to in the future.

Chris Claffey: First off, always support small business when you can. We’re a small company and are hopeful to grow quickly across the United States, but we always stay true to our word. We’re family owned and trying to grow organically. So any customer out there that’s looking for Claffey’s but can’t find it, please ask your favorite local store. We are approved to sell in 47 states right now with just a few left to finish up. Some of the of the biggest retailers that will be carrying our wine-based seltzers are Sam’s Club and Walmart. We are also in the military channel, so our amazing military men and women can buy it at their respective base’s commissaries, and I can’t thank them enough for their service. We’ll also be online in the Amazon Marketplace, goPuff, and Drizly, so we are available for delivery as well

Seltzer Nation: Chris, we want to thank you for taking the time today to do this interview and share your story with Seltzer Nation. We’re very excited to see where Claffey’s Seltzer Cocktails goes from here with your wine-based seltzers. We’ll definitely follow your voyage closely and wish you continued growth and success for 2021 and beyond.

Keep up with Claffey’s on Instagram and Facebook and use the hashtags #ClaffeysSeltzerCocktails, #KeepItClaffey and #ClaffeyHour while you unwind with a delectable wine-infused seltzer cocktail from Claffey’s.