Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Pittman.
Hi Austin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born up in Abilene, TX, and my family has been in the Austin/Lockhart area since 1820. I’m an eighth-generation Texan, but I’ve now lived all over the state (Dallas, Lubbock, Austin) and across the country (North Carolina, California, Minnesota). I’ve had an incredibly varied professional background – from marine biology at Monterey Bay, to healthcare in Minneapolis, to technology consulting and software sales, and now to alcoholic beverages – I’ve worked across the board. I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, and now more recently, received an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. I hunger for new opportunities new challenges and thrive on change.
Back in 2019, the idea for Blue Norther started on a hard day’s work on our family ranch. It began with a simple yet vexing question: why am I drinking so damn much White Claw when I hate the taste? I looked at the can in my hand, and it felt wrong. Artificial taste, chemical aftertaste, from who-knows-where, made who-knows-how. I love the great products that come from Austin – the care for heritage, for quality – and I believed I could create something better. My Dad pushed me to stop talking and get to work. In true Texas fashion, I had the confidence (or foolhardiness?) to do just that. Over two years later, we’ve sold over a quarter million cans of Blue Norther and are building a brand that represents commitment to great quality, fantastic taste, and real, authentic Texas heritage.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since our first day on shelves, June 15th, “smooth” sounds like a fairy tale to me. We planned our big product launch for March 2020 – and then the world fell apart. Sickness, disease, fear, broken supply chains, lack of events, and all-new vendors on hold. That’s what our launch turned into.
We struggled to change our approach to pitching the product and had to pivot our launch strategy to be highly targeted and “soft” just to get a product to market.
We launched a taste-first product in a time when giving samples to curious consumers was simply not possible, so we had to resort to guerilla tasting methods.
We’ve now faced industry giants dumping tens (or hundreds) of new products and hundreds of millions of dollars into the hard seltzer category – we’ve had to find creative ways to stand out and attempt to compete.
This 1st year in the market has been incredibly challenging, but we’ve adapted, stayed flexible, gotten creative, and not lose hope. We’re now seeing success and steady growth which is validating both for us and for the strength of the Austin community that supports us.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Blue Norther Hard Seltzer?
At Blue Norther, we brew award-winning craft hard seltzer with real fruit, organic agave, and nothing fake – all using Texas fruits like Wild Blackberry and Prickly Pear (the cactus fruit!). We set out to disrupt the fast-growing seltzer category by creating something authentic, real, and delicious and have connected deeply with our community and fans along the way.
Our product is known for the “wow” factor: when people try our seltzer, they’re usually shocked with how much more flavorful and complex Blue Norther is than a Truly, White Claw, or any of the smaller brands they’ve tried.
Our team is definitely known for being compassionate, treating people the right way, and connecting in an authentic way. We’ve thrown lots of live events and supported many nonprofits in the last year – and this is where we shine in a way that our competition just can’t.
I’m personally most proud of the authenticity, the real-ness, that our brand gives. The stories you read on our website are absolutely true, to a t. The heritage and care that go into every can are true and from the heart.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to us is building something that’s lasting and meaningful. In the alcohol industry, the common model is to blow out advertising, attempt to grow as fast as possible, and sell as soon as you’re able. We chose to build more sustainably, getting involved in the community, really getting to know people, customers, and retailers in each market as we go, and building long-term relationships along the way.
I think we have a chance to change the paradigm of seltzer – to make it mean as much as great craft beers and breweries have meant to their communities.
Pricing:
- 6-packs – $9.99
- 12-pack variety – $16.99
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@drinkbluenorther.com
- Website: https://drinkbluenorther.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkbluenorther/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkbluenorther
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drinkblueyall
Image Credits
All images owned wholly by Blue Norther.
