Heineken joins hard seltzer market with Pure Piraña

Beer giant Heineken is dipping a toe in the hard selzter market with the launch of its Pure Piraña brand.

Launching initially in Mexico and New Zealand, the drinks capitalise on the growing global trend for alcoholic seltzers - a North American concept which is gaining popularity around the world.

Pure Piraña will be available in up to nine different flavours, all at 5% ABV, allowing Heineken to road-test different varieties and see which work best in different markets. Like many other recent entrants to the hard selzter market, the drinks are low in calories and made with all-natural flavours to appeal to a new generation of drinkers who are increasingly conscious about their consumption habits.

Jan Derck van Karnebeek, chief commercial officer at Heineken, said: "Innovation is embedded in everything we do at Heineken, which is why we continuously use our expertise to create new and exciting taste experiences for customers. We are seeing more and more people look for a low-calorie alcoholic alternative and the result is the rapid growth of the hard seltzer category. The launch of Pure Piraña offers a way for us to meet customers' evolving needs and explore a new growth opportunity for our business." 

Pure Piraña will initially launch in Mexico - one of Heineken's largest markets - in grapefruit, peach and red fruit flavours, and in New Zealand with raspberry and lime flavours.

18 September 2020 - Bethany Whymark