A Midlands drinks business has bought the Hooch, Hooper’s, and Reef brands from Molson Coors.
Soft drinks, spirits and beer company Global Brands has bought the trademarks for all three drinks having produced them under licence since 2012.
A spokesman for the Derbyshire business said: “Buying the brands allows Global Brands an unrestricted opportunity to grow the brands in a way that aligns with the company’s vision, making them truly part of the portfolio in a way that only ownership can bring.”
The independent drinks distributor, which launched in 1997, has a portfolio of brands which includes VK, Franklin & Sons premium soft drinks and Amigos Tequila Beer.
It says it is the biggest branded supplier of packaged cocktails to the UK off trade, while Hooch has enjoyed “huge growth” with Global Brands since 2012, helped by the launch of Pink Hooch in 2020 and Orange Hooch in the summer of 2022.
The range includes the original alcoholic lemon drink Hooch, along with the passion fruit and mango flavour Hoola Hooch, and a range of Hooch spirits.
Latest results for Global Brands, which is based in Derbyshire, showed sales of £66.6 million in the year to September 30, 2021, up from £59.8 million a year earlier. Pre-tax profits were up from £5.1 million to £6.5 million.
Global Brands founder and chairman Steve Perez said they were delighted to welcome the Hooch, Hooper’s and Reef brands to the company’s drinks portfolio.
He said: “This will give us the opportunity to invest further into the brands with the added security of owning the equity.
“We re-launched Hooch in 2012 at the Publican Awards with Keith Lemon and reinvigorated the brand, with new flavours and focus.
“Hooch is a staple of the RTD [ready-to-drink] category sold by major retailers, and is a popular, well-loved brand.
“This deal will reinforce Global Brands’ position as the leading independent producer of RTD brands in the UK.
“We have lots of ideas for innovation and look forward to sharing these with the trade and consumers shortly.
“We have enjoyed a fantastic supportive relationship with Molson Coors over the years and look forward to continue working closely together through their route-to-market team.”
Nino Beneta, Molson Coors managing director of export and license in Europe, the Middle East and Africa & in the Asia-Pacific, said they looked forward to seeing the continued success of the three brands under the new owner.
He said his export and licensing team would continue to focus on its “select portfolio” of international brands such as Coors, Staropramen, Carling, Madri Excepcional and Blue Moon.
