The Inside Scoop on Summer

It’s summertime in New Brunswick and you know what that means - hot days, bright sunshine, beach days, backyard barbecues, and staycations!

Now that it’s here, it’s time to soak up every occasion that summer has to offer. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on our new + trending products you can enjoy now. And just like summer, they’re only sticking around for a short time so get ‘em before they disappear!

PLUS - it’s festival season in NB which means there are TONS of fun and incredible reasons to find a festival or celebration in your community and SAFE RIDE is hitting the road to join the festivities and get you home for FREE!

Ready to get an exclusive peek at what’s on tap in NB this summer?

NEW + TRENDING PICKS

Brendan Childerly, ANBL Refreshments Category Manager gives us the inside scoop on the most popular new flavours you can try this summer.

PRO TIP: Look for ‘NEW + HOT’ signs on shelves and displays in stores to find products here just for summer.

Q: Let’s talk about trends. What was top of mind when selecting products to bring in this summer?

We really wanted to bring the right mix of products and continue to closely monitor world trends in an effort to have the right product, in the right place at the right time for our customers.

Over the past few years, we were seeing the buying trends really geared toward lower calorie and lighter carbs but this year, we’re starting to see a bit of a resurgence in full flavour categories as well.

Q : What can you tell us about the response so far to the new products?

Summer is off to a strong start in the beer and refreshment categories. So far, we’re seeing a great response from NBers looking to get out and try something new and we’re getting some great feedback about the new flavours.

Now Trending - Coolers + Refreshments

Now Trending - Beer

Q: What recommendations would you have for someone looking to try one of the new products?

If you’re normally a cocktail drinker, we’ve got some new ready-to-drink cocktails available from some familiar brands like Jameson, Dillons, and Jack Daniels that you can try.

Coming from the beer space, maybe something approachable and more on the carbonated side like a seltzer or hard soda would play into your realm.

Or, if you typically go for wine, we have some grab and go formats, like BASK, which is a huge name in the wine industry right now. As well as some new refreshment wines as well.

If you’re looking to experience that ‘taste of summer’, there really is something for everyone.

Q: What can you tell us about the newly expanded lineup of Low + Non-Alc products?

We have recently expanded our lineup from three Low + Non-Alc products to approximately twenty new products in each category of wine, beer, and spirits. You’ll find most of the new low + non-alc products available on displays in corporate stores near the cash.

Q: Why was expanding the lineup important?

Low + Non-Alc is really an emerging trend and we really wanted to be able to have more choice, and more options on hand to serve our customers and their growing preferences.

Q: Are there plans to bring more low + non-alc products to stores?

We are currently working on bringing in another spirit to our lineup we have a few new wines coming in also. SMOKY BAY has done very well so far and we’re excited to be able to offer more non-alc wines soon.

Now Trending - Low + Non-Alc

Q: What are your best tips for finding a new flavour favourite this summer?

Keep your eyes peeled for in-store tastings at your local corporate store. Many of the new products are being sampled at the store level so you’ll likely see most in-store tastings focused on the new products we’ve got on shelves. It’s a bit of a leap of faith to purchase a product that you’ve never had before so those samples in-store are really helpful to get folks excited to try the new flavours.

Finally, our store team members do a fantastic job of being able to speak about the new products and being able to make custom recommendations. They’re armed with loads of product knowledge and are your best bet for getting a recommendation that is unique to you.

We hope you enjoy sampling some of the new products through all your fave NB summer occasions, and of course, enjoy responsibly!

SAFE RIDE HITS THE ROAD FOR FESTIVAL SEASON

Sharon Cattan, ANBL Corporate Social Responsibility Manager is taking her Safe Ride Team on the road all summer long to NB festivals and events so that you can get a safe ride home for FREE!

Sharon and Safe Ride Specialist, Scott Perry, give us a behind-the-scenes peek at the Safe Ride program.

Q: Why Safe Ride?

Sharon: Giving back to New Brunswickers is our core purpose at ANBL. One of the ways we do that is by sponsoring community events around the province with our Safe Ride Program. It’s important that we offer free rides home to folks on site at events where we know alcohol is being consumed. We want to keep impaired drivers off the road, and we don’t want people to worry about how they are going to get home safely.

Q: How many years has the Safe Ride Program been in place?

Scott: This is our third season and we’ve seen an increase in ridership every year so far. We’ve been working hard at getting the word out about Safe Ride and we’re hoping to see even more festivalgoers take advantage of the service this season.

Q: How many events will ANBL be sponsoring this summer with Safe Ride?

Scott: From June to September, we’re at twelve events in all corners of the province.

Q: What’s your favourite part about the Safe Ride Program?

Sharon: My favourite part is getting the positive feedback from people at the events. They genuinely appreciate it and often make a point to thank us for being there. And we hear it often from the festival organizers as well, they feel the service is tremendously valuable at their events and sends a strong message about the importance of responsible consumption.

Scott: It's a great way to see the province and to meet New Brunswickers from communities big and small across the province. And of course, to see so many people use the service and to know that we’re helping. It’s very rewarding.

Q: How does Safe Ride work at each event?

Sharon: The transportation looks a bit different from event to event. Sometimes it’s shuttles, other times buses, and some events even provide taxi chits to patrons to get them home safely. The best thing you can do is to check out the SAFE RIDE page on our website, find out where we’ll be, and you can view the Safe Ride schedule from there to find out how the rides will be working at the event you’ll be attending.

We hope to see you this summer, NB! Have fun and don’t forget to…

Check out the Safe Ride Scorecard here to see how we’re measuring our impact