Blake’s Beverage Company is celebrating a high-impact first quarter of 2025, characterized by industry-leading growth. As the collaborative voice of three leading cider brands—Blake’s Hard Cider, Austin Eastciders, and AVID Cider Co.—Blake’s Beverage Company’s growth strategy targets regional success to fuel cider’s rightful place at the top of the craft beverage industry.
Blake’s innovative lineup elevates cider to a competitive fourth category beverage nationwide with boundary-pushing flavors, continued investments in flagship brand families, and larger-than-life Imperial styles. When it comes to the bigger picture, the visionaries at Blake’s are dedicated not only to accelerating growth as a company, but to energizing the cider industry as a whole.
“Cider hasn’t had a lot of competition at the top… until now,” said Andrew Blake, founder and CEO of Blake’s Beverage Company, the largest independent cider company in the country. “We’re here to challenge the status quo by listening to the next generation, anticipating their needs and investing in R&D to develop entirely new flavors. Looking to the future, you can expect the unexpected from Blake’s.”
Blake’s Hard Cider, known for its forward-thinking flavor innovation, leads the charge as the fastest-growing hard cider company in the nation. Blake’s Hard Cider’s success is led by the Triple Jam brand family, which is up +17% YTD. Flagship cider Triple Jam (6.5% ABV) , America’s #1 selling fruited hard cider, is celebrating its sixth anniversary this quarter and continues to grow by double digits month over month.
Blake’s Hard Cider’s lineup of Imperial ciders is also experiencing robust growth, up +30% YTD, led by the new Tropical Mango Imperial Hard Cider (8% ABV) and beloved American Apple Imperial Hard Cider (8% ABV). Sales of variety packs have grown +78% YTD, with Core Bushel and Fully Loaded Imperial variety packs vying for the cidery’s top spot. Plus, their seasonal program is up +23% YTD led by Blue Raspberry Hard Cider (6.5% ABV).
Austin Eastciders, Texas’ top-selling cidery, is experiencing a sweet start to the year with the return of Texas Honey Hard Cider (5% ABV), back with a vengeance at +132% YTD. Previously a seasonal release, Texas Honey was promoted to the year-round lineup last fall.
Everything is bigger in Texas, including ABV, and Austin Eastciders’ Imperial family is currently up +60% YTD, led by Imperial Watermelon and Imperial Tropical Punch (8.3% ABV). Seasonal releases, led by Q1 innovation Prickly Pear (5% ABV), are up +13% YTD. Additionally, the release of Spiked Agua Fresca (4.5% ABV) is picking up steam as it continues to get rave reviews from retailers and consumers alike.
Fresh innovations from Oregon’s AVID Cider Co. are also seeing gains after the first quarter. Pineapple Mango (6% ABV) has grown by +36% YTD, and their family of Imperial ciders is up +20% YTD, led by Imperial Black Dragon (8.5% ABV), a fierce combination of blackberry, raspberry and dragon fruit. Additionally, the cidery’s seasonal program is up +91% YTD, led by new Peach Lychee (6.2% ABV) and other Asian-inspired flavors; and variety packs are up +72% YTD.
“Blake’s has grown by leaning into what sets us apart—real fruit and fearless innovation. By building a category of hard fruit beverages rather than staying in the cider lane, we’ve broadened our appeal and engaged consumers looking for something different. Our growth is a direct result of our willingness to innovate beyond convention,” said Chelsea Cox, VP of Innovation at Blake’s Beverage Company.
Cider lovers can now find Blake’s Beverage Company ciders and fruit-based RTDs in 41 states and Japan. In the first part of 2025, the nation’s largest independent cider company is experiencing unprecedented growth, fueled by continual investments in the health of the category and a mission to secure cider’s rightful place as America’s Drink.
***All data referenced is measured by Circana (formerly IRI) and represents TUS by dollars (L26W TUS MULO ending 03/31/2025)
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