American businesses have been chasing every woke trend for the past few years.
Most of them learned the hard way that trendy doesn’t equal profitable.
And Spindrift made one business decision that revealed the truth about trendy beverages.
Spindrift pulls the plug on its failed alcohol experiment
Spindrift built a solid reputation over 15 years making flavored sparkling water that actually tastes like real fruit.
The Massachusetts-based company found success by keeping things simple – clean ingredients, real flavors, no synthetic garbage that you can’t pronounce.
But in 2021, Spindrift decided to jump on the hard seltzer bandwagon with their "Spiked" line.¹
That decision just came back to bite them.
The company announced they’re shuttering Spindrift Spiked after four years of trying to make it work.
CEO Dave Burwick didn’t try to sugarcoat the failure.
"This is a difficult decision, but the right one to better serve the needs of our customers, supporting the tremendous momentum of the current business and strong consumer trends towards non-alc beverages," Burwick said in a statement.²
Translation: they wasted a bunch of money chasing a fad that’s already over.
Hard seltzer bubble bursts faster than anyone expected
Remember when hard seltzers were supposed to be the future of drinking?
Every beverage company rushed to get their own version on store shelves.
Coca-Cola jumped in. Molson Coors threw their hat in the ring. Everybody wanted a piece of the action.
But here’s the thing about trends – they don’t last forever.
Hard seltzer demand started tanking as consumers moved on to other drinks or just decided to cut back on alcohol altogether.³
Spindrift found themselves competing with deep-pocketed giants in a shrinking market.
The company admits the alcohol venture required "substantial resources and time" while pulling attention away from what they actually do well.⁴
Getting into the booze business meant dealing with new manufacturing requirements and regulatory headaches that sparkling water never required.
All that effort for a product line that never really took off.
Smart business owners know when to cut their losses
Look, here’s what this really shows about running a business in America today.
Every company feels pressure to chase the latest trend, especially when big competitors are jumping in.
But Spindrift just demonstrated something that used to be common sense – sometimes the smart move is admitting you made a mistake and getting back to basics.
The hard seltzer craze was always going to be short-lived. Anyone paying attention could see that consumers were already moving toward non-alcoholic options and mocktails.
Instead of throwing good money after bad, Spindrift’s new leadership team made the tough call to focus on what actually works.
They’re doubling down on their sparkling water line with new flavors like Tropical Lemonade and Yuzu Mandarin.
The company is also exploring mocktails and sodas – categories that actually align with current consumer trends toward healthier drinking.⁵
For a change, we’re seeing an American business make a decision based on practical reality instead of wishful thinking about the next big thing.
That’s the kind of business leadership this country needs more of.
¹ Spindrift, "Spindrift Spiked Discontinuation," Company Website, August 2025.
² Christopher Doering, "Spindrift discontinues alcohol offering amid decline in hard seltzers," Food Dive, August 25, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
