Ecommerce takes the orange crush beyond the boardwalk

How do you sell orange crushes in the winter?

Show consumers that you can sip them on the slopes.

That’s the approach being taken by Dewey Crush. The canned crush cocktail brand is seeing particular success on Instagram as it works to expand with a direct-to-consumer approach to ecommerce.

Andrew Rigney founded the brand to take the orange crush made famous at The Starboard in Dewey Beach, Delaware, into a ready-to-drink format. Now, Dewey Crush’s Instagram is showing that you don’t have to be at the beach to enjoy the crushed fruit refreshment.

“We try to create new and fresh content that can be used by our team to create compelling ads that speak to the Dewey lifestyle,” Rigney told The Current. “During the winter months, we show that summer is only a state of mind and can be enjoyed everywhere, at any time. We do this by focusing our branding around snow and winter sports. Our main creative partner is located in Colorado, so his location has been extremely beneficial in helping to deliver this narrative.”

Dewey Crush began selling the canned cocktails through its website about six months ago, with a third-party that enables sales and shipping. Made with vodka, lemon lime soda and freshly crushed juices, the drinks are available in four packs that include flavors such as orange, grapefruit, watermelon, lemon and Skinny Orange, which has 50% less calories and sugar than the original crush.

Andrew Rigney. (Courtesy photo)

Rigney’s story shows how ecommerce is enabling entrepreneurship, turning an interest in the food industry and a business idea into a full-fledged brand that is now growing beyond his home state to New Jersey, Virginia and Tennessee.

“Having grown up in Delaware, I spent every summer at the beach with friends and family. At an early age, I started working for my father in a grocery store and that’s when I really started to appreciate the food and beverage industry,” he said. “Several years later in 2020, I had this idea to create The Starboard’s iconic 'crush' cocktail in a ready to drink format, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Rigney started the business during the ecommerce boom of the pandemic, when at-home delivery and ready-to-drink became key trends propelling new alcoholic beverage brands. Even though bars are open once again, Rigney doesn’t see the underlying shifts in consumer behavior slowing down. According to Technavio, the ready-to-drink cocktail market is expected to grow by $748.7 million by 2027 at a CAGR of 12.42%.

“Over the last three years, the world has become much more digital,” Rigney said. “I think we will see ecommerce continue morphing as people’s likes and dislikes change in this area. One thing is for sure – people want things fast and convenient. There is nothing easier than ordering on the internet and then having someone deliver to you without getting off your couch. Speed will be the key.”