With the heatwave, the Société des alcools du Québec expects its sales of ready-to-drink beverages to reach record highs this week. And the summits won’t stop there: the state-owned company is in the process of calling for tenders to renew its canned products.
“It’s a category that is growing at the SAQ, where there are few growing categories,” says Nicolas Bériault, of Distillerie 3 Lacs, from the outset. The Salaberry-de-Valleyfield company offers a few products in this category, including a pink lemonade made with gin.
“More and more people are abandoning wine and beer in favor of ready-to-drink products once in a while,” says the entrepreneur. This is an offer that didn’t exist and is now widely available. »
According to Nicolas Bériault, one factor plays greatly in favor of these products: the can, recyclable and practical.
It’s refreshing, it’s easy. It’s a cocktail on the go. No need to carry around gin, tonic and small syrups.
Nicolas Bériault, from the 3 Lacs Distillery
Seeing the proliferation of ready-to-drink products at the SAQ and in grocery stores, one might wonder if local producers are not making the same mistake as with gins: flooding the market until more thirsty.
Impossible, replies Nicolas Bériault, who is also a member of the board of directors of the Union québécoise des microdistilleries. Because unlike Quebec gins which automatically all had a place on the SAQ’s shelves, which led to this overproduction, the state company operates by calls for tenders for ready-to-drink products.
Coming in 2025
The process is happening right now for products that will be on shelves next year.
Distillers here and elsewhere have until July 4 to respond to this call for tenders: the monopoly wants to add around fifteen drinks in this category.
Quebec companies are competing with alcohol giants to find a place on the SAQ’s shelves, but many are succeeding in doing so, since 62% of the ready-to-drink products offered at the SAQ are from Quebec – which represents 54%. Sales.
“Québec products are growing,” explains Stéphanie Taschereau. category manager – spirits and ready-to-drink products for the SAQ. They gain more and more sales share and they bring growth. »
The call for tenders process is simple: the SAQ describes the desired products according to trends, and manufacturers can submit a drink that meets these criteria. They can also request a meeting to make a presentation of their company and their products.
This interest in ready-to-drink products is good for the Quebec distillery sector, which is saturated, according to the very admission of the Union québécoise des microdistilleries, which estimates that the majority of companies are loss-making.
In April, the SAQ announced that it would change its approach to gins and make a selection of products that will now find their place on the shelves.
According to distiller Nicolas Bériault, ready-to-drink drinks cannot save a company that is already on the verge of bankruptcy.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a lifesaver,” he said. It’s a nice complementary product to grow a portfolio. From there to saving a company, no. There is something extremely competitive about the ready-to-drink can market. It’s still rough. »
Nicolas Bériault believes that a small player can still find a place in this busy market if it offers an innovative drink.
Good to know: the SAQ has a particular eye on ready-to-drink products that will appeal to men, who buy less, and to older customers, who are also less keen on canned alcohol.
Fierce competition
Drinks that are made from neutral alcohol – distilled, therefore, by distillers – are on sale at the SAQ in Quebec. Those made from malt are found in convenience stores and grocery stores, where the supply has also increased.
And it’s not about to run out of steam, says Samuel Gaudette, co-owner of the Comont distillery, which has made ready-to-drink products its signature.
Over the last three years, the distiller has seen the offerings multiply and notes the growing interest from consumers, even in new markets.
“We are coming back from France and Germany and we are starting to see the interest in cans,” says Samuel Gaudette, happy to see more conservative markets – and where canned alcohol is synonymous with average quality – warming up by relation to the concept.
“It’s certain that it’s not about to stop,” he said.
However, according to him, there are already too many similar products and consumers find themselves confused in front of too many boxes of cans at the SAQ, while waiting to pay at the checkout. This is nothing good for promoting products, even less regional products which sometimes go unnoticed, according to the Bedford distiller. Comont notably offers cans of paloma and margarita, categories where the supply has exploded over the past two years.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Comont notably offers cans of paloma and margarita, categories where the supply has exploded over the past two years.
Good news, these are products that are very popular in Quebec.
“The margarita is popular this year,” says Stéphanie Taschereau, who specifies that the appearance of new products in 2025 does not mean more quantity or variety, since drinks that perform less risk losing their place on shelves. . But the SAQ has an eye on the tastes of its customers.
What’s going well at the moment: coolers rum, gin and tequila.
And particularly when the weather is nice: the ready-to-drink category manager observes a direct correlation between sales and the weather.
Are you going to have a sales record this week?
“I expect sales to grow significantly,” confides Stéphanie Taschereau. With this heat! »
Beer or ready-to-drink?
Do all these new ready-to-drink drinks compete with local beers? “A certain clientele is more attracted to these products, such as women and young people,” estimates Marie-Ève Myrand, general director of the Association of Microbrasseries of Quebec. But the hearts of beer lovers, on a terrace, will not replace their beer with anything else. » In businesses, the arrival of a new wave of hard seltzers three years ago gave microbrewers a scare, but the tidal wave did not happen. Yes, the large companies that market these drinks have strong marketing power, agrees Marie-Ève Myrand. According to her, the fact that most of these drinks contain a lot of sugar and artificial flavors ultimately did not appeal much to the beer lover who prefers “clean” products. “There is also a seasonality around that,” specifies Marie-Ève Myrand. By October, it’s less interesting. »
Learn more
-
- 11%
- The ready-to-drink category represents 11% of sales by volume and 4% by value.
source: SAQ
- 190
- There are 190 ready-to-drink products with alcohol available at the SAQ and 12 without alcohol.
source: SAQ
-
- 70%
- The majority of ready-to-drink sales (70%) are made between April and September.
source: SAQ
- 14%
- While canned drinks are popular in the summer, the category is also growing 14% the rest of the year.
source: SAQ