“For us, summer is like our Christmas,” says Rebecca Oliver-Mooney, head of drinks at Co-op. 

We’re speaking at the Co-op summer trade tasting, where Oliver-Mooney and wine buyer Sarah Benson are walking me through the range. 

Around us, members of the trade are milling around with their tasting brochures, enjoying the likes of Orange Groove, a brand-new orange wine from the Languedoc region and Al Fresco Red, a chilled red from the Navarra region. 

The light red, Oliver-Mooney says, is something she’s particularly excited about for the season. “There’s a real opportunity with a younger shopper coming through, who are interested in trying a lighter red as they get on their red wine journey.” 

Plus, she explains, “I always love when we challenge the boundaries and do something a bit different”. 

At first, Oliver-Mooney notes, it was a challenge working out where to put it. The two options were either to put it in the fridge, which may confuse the consumer, or to station it on the shelf with an explanation to chill at home. “Now though, it’s becoming more mainstream, and people know to look for it in the chiller”. 

Benson, who worked with the producer on the Al Fresco Red, continues that the red is created to be “smashable” at only 11% ABV. 

Outside of the light red trend, Benson says they are also seeing a lot of success with Greek wine, pointing to the Co-op Irresistible Assyrtiko. 

“Interestingly, Portugal was the previous biggest growth category when that was the number one holiday spot. Now it’s Greece, which is where the holiday trends are,” Benson says. 

Focusing again on breaking boundaries, Benson and Oliver-Mooney both note their mission to move away from the conception that all rosés must be from France or Provence.

While the summer collection certainly does have a focus on French rosé, Benson also points to their Solo Dry Rosé from Spain. “It’s made with old vines, 100% Garnacha and arguably better value.” 

CHILLABLE 

Thinking about drinks more generally, chillable goods are a big theme at Co-op this season. Last year, the grocer rolled out a series of chillers dedicated to single-serve cans, which Oliver-Mooney says has gone “brilliantly”. 

“It’s beaten all of the KPIs and metrics that we put in place to measure it”. 

Co-op decided to trial the chillers based on insights that pointed to the rise in popularity of on-the-go drinks. Oliver-Mooney says it’s gone so well that “we’re going to roll that trial out to more stores.” 

As they focus on the expansion of the chilled section, she further announces that there is also an emphasis on offering a wider variety of options: more brands, more flavour profiles, more opportunities for premiumisation. 

Unsurprisingly, RTDs are a big focus within the chilled on-the-go range. “We do canned wine and canned beers, but the innovation trend is largely in that cocktail space”. 

As part of this, the head of drinks notes that overly sweet cocktails don’t seem to be innovating as much as those with more savoury elements. 

However, the other major area of growth is in low and no – specifically in more sophisticated soft drinks. 

“What we’re seeing is that people are really broadening their repertoire when it comes to low and no. 

“They aren’t always swapping a beer for an alcohol-free beer; instead, they might go for a soft drink, because the range now has so many more offerings, whether that’s nootropics, CBD drinks or just more adult-tasting options.” 

BEER 

Moving to the beer category, Co-op has worked to deliver an exclusive own-brand range that launches on May 12, which includes the Limited-Edition Munro Ale – a collaboration between Fyne Brewery and Robinsons – plus the Co-op Fairtrade IPA and Co-op Best Bitter. 

And in branded beers, they’re bringing in fruit beers from Brewgooder, alongside new exclusive beers by Tiny Rebel and Brewdog. 

“I’m particularly excited about the Brewdog [Fruit Burst] beer because our beer buyer helped brew that beer. He was there the first time it was brewed,” Oliver-Mooney says. 

THE FUTURE 

A trend-driven range, Oliver-Mooney reiterates throughout the conversation that the shop utilises data and “an amazing award-winning drinks buying team” to stay ahead of the curve. 

As a finishing comment, she notes: “It sounds cheesy but I’m excited about the way we work. We’re an ethical retailer and that’s clear in our ranges and the way we work with suppliers every day.”