Where New York Meets Italy- Mulberry Street Seltzers

Mulberry Street Seltzers is a brand born out of a passion for cocktails, for Italian produce and inspired by the rich history and buzzing culture of New York City. It is quite a combination to sit at the heart of a new product coming to market but one which arguably will appeal to the senses of many. Moreover, it is being led and developed by a proven team.

One of our aims is to host a summer event sampling the product, so once you have read the below, do let us know if you would like to come and try.

Before we tell the story of the team, the first question must be whether you know what a hard seltzer is? Have you previously tried one?

In simple terms, a hard seltzer is a mix of carbonated water, fruit flavouring and alcohol. The concept of flavoured malt beverages has been popular since the 1990s. The first widely available commercial example of the style was Two Dogs which was brewed in Australia in 1993 and was claimed to be the "world’s first brewed alcoholic lemonade". Two Dogs paved the way for similar commercial products. These alcoholic alternatives were commonly known as alcopops in the United Kingdom and malternatives in America.

David White came up with the idea for Alcoholic water in 1996 when he did a school project and had to come up with a business idea. He came up with Whitey's wonder water. The more modern renditions of Hard seltzers started with Nick Shields developing the 'Spiked Seltzer' branding style, in Westport, Connecticut, brewing the first commercial batches in November 2013. The Hard Seltzers that we are familiar with now did not rise to popularity until almost 3 decades later in 2018. Sales of the most popular Hard Seltzer brand White Claws grew 85% in just one year making over $4 billion in 2020 alone. Analysts attribute the success of White Claw and the appeal of hard seltzer in general to increased demand from health-conscious consumers.

So, a legacy and the market begin to become clear.

This story begins with two best friends, Chris, and Matt, who bonded over their love for the fast-paced lifestyle of the city and their passion for la dolce vita. Together, with a select team from Italy, they came up with the idea of an alcoholic seltzer drink which is light and less than 70 calories per serve while carrying its unique taste from Sicilian citrus fruits.

Together it does all create a compelling and engaging new product. It is worth noting that Chris and Matt are not just two entrepreneurs founding another product in the market, but both have a proven track record which makes one take more note. They have been there, done that and got the t-shirt. Moreover, the product – tested happily by EP – is excellent.

Chris led, developed, and launched the Peroni brand in the UK in 2005 and was responsible for the strategy, global roll out, and marketing until 2017 during which time the brand became a huge commercial success. Chris’s expertise lies in developing and building brilliant brands.

Matt Cowley (Founder) has been in the advertising industry for 25 years and has worked on some of the most notable brands of recent times. Matt spent 12 years working on the Peroni brand, responsible for the creative positioning and brand execution globally. Matt is a creative, strategic thinker and writer, some of his projects for 2019/20 include Apple, Cartier, Nasa and LVMH.

The third member of the team, Ewan Davenport (Director), also has 20 years’ experience working globally for organisations such as Unilever, SABMiller and Yum! Brands, he is currently the GM spearheading the growth of Pizza Hut in Africa. Prior to that he was CFO for Yum! in UAE, FD for SABMiller in Ecuador and has held senior business roles for SABMiller and Unilever in their respective global and regional European offices. Ewan balances commercial astuteness with a growth mindset and is a people focused culture driven and results driven leader. He holds a BSc in Accounting, Master of Chemistry, an MBA from Manchester Business School and is a certified Chartered Accountant.

This is a tested, proven team which sits at the heart of the business.