When it comes to the overall alcohol market, manufacturers not only are analyzing their own brand sales but also the respective categories in which they compete. For the beer category, hard ciders are offering consumers an entry point into this multibillion dollar industry, experts note.
“If you take a myopic view of the industry, above-premium and everything that we categorize in that, they’re all bringing drinkers in one way or another,” says Jeff Nowicki, chief strategy officer for Bump Williams Consulting Co., Stratford, Conn. “When you really start to look at ciders, I would say six out of 10 drinkers [in] the cider segment are coming from outside of the beer category into the category.”