Beenleigh Distillery is shaking up the ready-to-drink (RTD) category with the launch of Hard Orange Crush – a bold, citrus-charged beverage that blends the nostalgia of orange soft drink with evolving flavour trends.
Flavoured premixes now account for more than half of all ready-to-drink sales in Australia, with citrus among the fastest-growing segments. Yet despite orange consistently ranking among the top five soft drink flavours in supermarkets, it remains largely untapped in the RTD space.
Crafted with real Australian orange juice and delivering a 4.5% ABV, it’s a new release from Australia’s oldest-operating distillery, building on the success of Pineapple Crush.
Beenleigh Distillery brand manager, Will Sullivan, said the company saw a clear opportunity to create something nostalgic yet fresh – a throwback flavour with mainstream appeal.
“Orange is one of Australia’s most-loved soft drink flavours, yet barely touched in RTDs. We crushed it with Pineapple, and with Hard Orange Crush, we’re confident we can crush it again,” said Sullivan.
“We see this as a strategic move into a space that’s been overlooked for too long. With Hard Orange Crush, we’re bringing something new to the shelf, recruiting the next generation of drinkers, and reinforcing that Beenleigh isn’t just participating in this category – we’re leading it.”
