Global Brands, the independent drinks producer behind leading ready-to-drink (RTD) brands VK, Hooch and Reef, as well as canned cocktail brands, All Shook Up, be. and Gather, is exploring further international distribution routes for its portfolio in response to strong consumer demand.
The alcoholic RTD sector was the only major alcohol category to record volume growth last year, with IWSR data showing a 2% volume rise globally. In turn, Global Brands reported increased demand for its brands across the globe.
Australia, Bahrain and Cameroon are among the markets driving volume growth for the UK-based drinks producer, with VK sales at an all-time high – VK’s total export sales are up by 20% in the moving annual total (MAT) to April 2025.
Global Brands is also experiencing large growth in the UAE with its Franklin & Sons tonic water and mixers brand, thanks to winning high-profile accounts such as the exclusive Atlantis Resorts in Dubai. Now, the drinks producer is looking to further this success in the UAE, with a focus on retail listings and high-energy venues for its RTD brands.
Meanwhile, its canned cocktail brand, All Shook Up, is experiencing success across Europe, where Global Brands is replicating its listings in Tesco UK and the Republic of Ireland to expand across retail in multiple markets including Spain and the Czech Republic.
It’s this global success which resulted in Global Brands receiving The King’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2024.
The boom in RTDs is credited to factors such as rising urbanisation, with growing city populations often associated with increasingly busy lifestyles, generating demand for quick and convenient formats.
Now, with IWSR predicting the global RTD category will grow by 12% in volume between 2022 and 2027 to reach US$40bn across ten key markets, Global Brands plans to target further international expansion, with its sights set specifically on Asian and European markets.
Keith Beattie (below), the company’s international sales director, explains: “What started as a man with a vision when Steve Perez founded Global Brands in 1997, has developed into global production and distribution of award-winning drinks.
“When Global Brands was given its name, it was with a clear vision in mind: to enhance moments one drink at a time, no matter who you’re with or where you are. We wanted to take Global Brands truly global and it’s this vision which has driven the international expansion of the company to now export to over 67 countries and counting.”
Vodka-based RTDs lead the way
IWSR data shows that vodka-based RTD variants, such as VK and Hooch, are set to lead the way for spirits-based RTD growth, with vodka’s “versatility and approachable flavour profile” cited as the driving force.
Indeed, the drinks industry analyst believes this is the reason vodka surpassed tequila as the leading RTD spirit base three years ago.
This presents an increasing opportunity for RTD producers to cater to the growing demand for vodka-based RTDs. In fact, Beattie reveals that Global Brands is in “advanced talks” with partners in South Korea, Australia and the US to enter these three key markets, and is also seeking to replicate its international success in other regions.
Adapting RTDs for local markets
As Global Brands sets its sights on further international growth, it has been working with international distribution and licensing partners to adapt its flavour profiles, ingredients and sourcing based on local requirements and preferences, to set its brands up for success in each region.
With plans to launch Hooch into South Korea and South-East Asia, Global Brands has begun efforts to localise the drinks recipe, using regional influences.
In Australia, the producer has been working with its licensing partner, Mandatory Drinks, to reimagine its iconic 1990s vodka lemonade brand, Hooch, for consumers Down Under. The new product comes in a 44cl can, has a higher ABV of 4% and is made using locally sourced ingredients to appeal to Australian consumers.
Working with the Global Brands team to bring Hooch to Australia has been “a truly exceptional experience”, according to Mandatory Drinks co-founder Mark Collins.
“For us, these partnerships are as much about the people and the support behind the scenes as they are about the product itself,” he says. “Global Brands has facilitated seamless business interactions, demonstrating remarkable flexibility, agility and quick decision-making.
“They are very well-resourced regarding sales collateral, and have maintained open and transparent communication about product information. We feel genuinely privileged to collaborate with Global Brands and are excited to share some fantastic liquids with the Australasia market”.
Global Brands is also in advanced talks to bring Hooch back to the US market, where the alcoholic lemonade RTD brand once enjoyed sales of more than 1m cases a year, before the brand’s previous owners removed it from the market.
In light of the recent US tariffs, Beattie notes that moving to local production is key to staying competitive and meeting market demand quickly. Therefore, with “big plans for 2026”, the producer is working with its US partners to unlock this potential, while working on a locally produced liquid to bring Hooch back stateside.
Eyeing up European expansion
With work well underway to bring Global Brands to South Korea, Australia and the US, the drinks producer is turning its attention to markets closer to home – such as Spain, Italy and the Nordic countries – where consumer demand for RTDs and canned cocktails is increasing.
Data from Grand View Research shows that the Spanish RTD cocktail market currently accounts for 2.6% of the global market, but is expected to reach US$180.6m by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 13.9% from 2025–30. Within this, spirit-based RTDs were identified as the most lucrative type of segment, registering the fastest growth during the forecast period.
In nearby Italy, CGA by NIQ’s Consumer Pulse Report found 26% of consumers have bought RTDs in bars and restaurants over the last six months, while another 49% are open to trying them. This shows huge untapped potential for the category there, says Beattie, if bars can attract consumers with products of the right quality and value.
The CGA by NIQ report also found more than a third (35%) of Italian consumers report an increase in the availability of RTDs over the last 12 months, with RTDs now close to overtaking neat spirits as the second most popular spirits serve behind cocktails.
Further north in the Nordic region, Denmark is experiencing a trend towards premiumisation, with consumers increasingly willing to spend more for drinks made with high-quality ingredients.
Beattie says the focus on drinking better is “undeniably due to evolving taste preferences” and is contributing towards a growing demand for premium drinks options, such as canned cocktails, in the Nordics.
Growing demand in Asia
Beattie reveals that Global Brands is also exploring opportunities in other Asian markets such as China, Japan and India.
While the US remains the largest RTD market, IWSR predicts Japan will be the market which adds the most volume over the next few years, led by the growth of flavoured alcoholic beverages (FABs).
Last year, Japan’s alcoholic RTD market was valued at $7.07bn, with Markets & Data forecasting it will reach $12.06bn by 2032, with a CAGR of 6.9%. The analyst attributes the growth to several factors, such as the increasing appeal of social gatherings and parties, the rise of cocktails-at-home and an increasing consumer preference for easily accessible, reasonably priced and convenient alcoholic beverages.
Similarly in China, the demand for FABs is set to see the market become a significant player in the RTD category. Tropical and fruit-flavoured beverages are becoming increasingly popular, driven by preferences for Western culture, according to Market Research Future, and as the country sees a growing middle class population, combined with an urbanisation trend, current estimations suggest China’s RTD alcoholic RTD market will grow from $4.02bn in 2024 to $10.23bn by 2035.
Partner opportunities
With all the data seemingly pointing in one direction for international RTD markets, combined with Global Brands’ existing experience and success overseas, the drinks producer has announced it is on the hunt for new distribution and licensing partners across Europe and Asian markets.
Those interested in discussing how to bring drinks RTD brands – such as VK and Hooch, or any of Global Brands’ canned cocktail brands – to international markets, should get in touch with the team at [email protected].
