Move aside cans and bottles, pouches are predicted to be the next big opportunity in the Australian RTD space.

Homegrown companies Allied Beverages and Quips have recently launched cocktail pouch ranges into the Australian market, while drinks giant Diageo has released Smirnoff Vodka Crush in pouch form.

Sydney duo Joe McGaffin and Calvin Koder founded Quips after deciding the spout pouch was a better drinking vessel than the bottles and cans currently dominating Australian RTD aisles. The Gen Z entrepreneurs were inspired by empty yoghurt pouches and some very sneaky festival behaviour. 

They sourced their own pouch filling machinery and built the operation from the ground up. Using local juices, the result is a range of single-serve cocktail party pouches have an ABV of 11% and are portable, resealable and freezer friendly.

Koder said: “Quips really came from that very Australian festival culture and we were honestly just sick of carrying around warm vodka and sugary, carbonated RTD’s that made us feel sick and bloated.

“Joe and I wanted something stronger and easier to drink with your mates, so we thought screw it, let’s make our own and put it in a pouch. That’s how Quips was born.”

Allied Beverages, the company behind premium cocktail brand BLVD and the Sydney Shaker, believes pouch packaging is ideally positioned to meet consumer demand bar-quality cocktails in a convenient format.

Allied Beverages co-founder Mark Dorrell said: “Consumers have already demonstrated that they want premium cocktails that deliver a genuine bar-quality experience, but they also want convenience.

“The opportunity is to bring those two things together. The pouch makes the cocktail easier to serve, easier to take with you and easier to enjoy — but ultimately it is the quality of what is inside the pouch that determines whether consumers come back.”

Dorrell said the premium cocktail pouch is moving beyond novelty and becoming a credible format for a much broader range of drinking occasions.

The company’s BLVD range includes Espresso Martini, Cosmopolitan, Lychee Martini and Margarita cocktails created with premium ingredients.

A smarter solution for the on-trade and events

According to Borrell the premium cocktail pouch offers a combination of quality, speed of service and consistency for bars, hospitality operators and events.

Rather than requiring staff to measure, mix and prepare every cocktail individually, a professionally produced cocktail can be chilled, opened and served over ice or directly from the pouch itself significantly reducing preparation time while maintaining consistency from one serve to the next.

That translates into faster service, improved staff productivity, reduced preparation and labour costs and greater potential returns per service period.

For consumers, the benefit is equally straightforward: a consistently high-quality cocktail, served quickly.

The format also provides greater control over the finished serve, helping operators deliver the intended cocktail experience without relying on individual staff members to recreate the recipe for every customer.

The pouch extends premium cocktails into a much broader range of occasions, without the need for spirits, mixers, glassware or cocktail-making equipment.

The BLVD pouch range is available through ALM, Paramount and ILG. Quips are available online and at select independent retailers across Australia, RRP $29.99 for a 4-pack. For more information, visit drinkquips.com.