Specialist alcohol whole­saler CoBev is making more Afro-Caribbean drinks available to retail­ers, through its own-brand Ragga range and listings with external suppliers.

The company’s man­aging director, Amish Thakkar, told Better Retailing CoBev has begun increasing support and availability for retail­ers in its Ragga tonic brand, which includes flavours, field support and an upcoming rum line.

He added: “We started with a Cherry Tonic flavour and were surprised to discover it was more popular than some of the major brands in the market. The avail­able range eventually expanded to Raspberry and Black Grape.

“Promotion with social media influencers also helped boost popularity. We’re now available in nearly every independ­ent wholesaler, including Booker. We’re also launching an overproof rum into re­tail that includes 5cl, 20cl, 35cl and 70cl varieties. The average price will be around £29.99. Wray & Nephew is the only other brand in the segment.

“We’ve been working on having teams on the ground visiting retailers, creating in-store displays and sampling opportu­nities. We’re leaving no stone unturned,” Thakkar continued.

Growing popularity

Although Thakkar declined to reveal specific sales figures for Ragga, he said it was in “significant growth”.

He added CoBev was in conversations with several brands from the Caribbean and West Africa for potential list­ings. “We’re hoping to pull some of these off in the next two-to-three months,” he added.

Thakkar said the in­creased opportunity for Afro-Caribbean alcohol was influenced by social media. He added: “There are certain types of alco­hol, such as whisky, that are declining because they haven’t had a follow-through to the younger generation. Magnum tonics are in a very lucky position be­cause rappers and celebri­ties, such as Maya Jama, have been seen drinking them. This has spread like wildfire and helped blow up the category.

“The other key point is these drinks aren’t ex­clusively for people from Afro-Caribbean nations. You have people who identify more as British, but who have heritage from those areas through their family. You’ve also got people from the UK who have been exposed to these products, either through social media or because they have friends who have connections to this heritage. The cultural barriers from 15-to-20 years ago are now disappearing.”

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