Kin: For the Folks. Meet KC's First Black-Owned Seltzer Company.
Meet the folks behind KC’s first Black-owned seltzer company, Kin– and hear about what went into the launch (besides the fresh peaches, pineapple, lemon & lime in their Top Tier seltzer, of course!)
Photo courtesy of Kin
Behind the launch of Kin, Kansas City’s newest locally made alcoholic seltzer, is a team of brilliant marketing minds keen on connecting with a new audience. We sat down with their founders to talk about the process behind the launch:
What was the inspiration behind launching Kin?
For the black consumer, hard seltzers aren’t typically the drink of choice. With Kin, we wanted to create a seltzer that was diverse, not just in the demographic of those who consume and enjoy, but also in the reasons why one might enjoy.
Who is part of the Kin team?
Our founding team is Kearra Johnson, Eric Martens of Border Brewing Co. and Joshua Lewis of Updown App Inc. Kearra handles design and marketing. Eric leads brewing and manufacturing. Josh handles sales and partnerships.
Photos by Anna Petrow
Your designer, Kearra, is incredibly talented– and the packaging for Kin is beautiful. Can you talk us through the creation of the brand image?
Kin is not your typical seltzer, and we show that in a few different ways. First the can, with its overall design, we wanted to go with an elevated look. One that was bold but elegant at the same time, we achieved that with an all black can and a pop of color. Another important call out on the packaging is our slogan “For the Folks” this is a symbol of who our brand represents, our folks. Our folks, in other words our “Kin” (Kin: one’s family or relations), being those who we love to celebrate with. Rather that celebration is small or large, we want Kin to be the seltzer that can elevate any occasion.
Photo courtesy of Kin
How was the process behind creating the seltzer in partnership with Border Brewing?
Our founding team are individually superstars at what they do. Josh has 10+ years in the nightlife industry and a tech platform, Updown Nightlife App, with a community of over 30,000 people. Eric has 10+ years in the Brewing industry and a brick and mortar in the heart of the crossroads, Border Brewing Co., which also houses his in-house brewing operation. Kearra has 5+ years in the field of marketing and design, she also has experience of bringing products to market through her own ventures such as the Revolution Card Deck. This team has all the pieces and drive, which made the process somewhat seamless. We brought our best to the process while making sure we learn from each other along the way. To top it off we all have the common goal of making sure Kin does the job of expanding the world of hard seltzer while remaining authentic in taste and experience.
Photo courtesy of Kin
What was it like testing through flavor profiles and beginning production, and when did you know the product was ready to hit the market?
The special thing about Kin is it’s made with 100% real fruit. Its flavor isn’t composed of artificial ingredients like most hard seltzers, so the process of creating this thing was one that excited us all. Eric has about 10+ years in the brewing business so his excitement came from being able to experiment and play around with not so typical fruits and flavors. For Josh and I, we were both excited about the whole process. All the way from naming the flavors, to deciding what fruits would pair to create our first release, Top Tier, which is Pineapple, Peach, Lemon and Lime. Once we had our flavor profile, that then began the process of designing our can and diving more into the brewing process, we came together for our final tasting and we knew we’d nailed it. Then it was time to can and share with the world.
Photo courtesy of Kin
Part of Kin's mission is targeting overlooked Black consumers and providing authentic social experiences– how do you plan to integrate your community into your brand experience?
When you are a part of the community you’re targeting, you naturally know how to speak their language– in a for us, by us kind of way. We know what voice draws in our consumer and what they want to see and experience. With that we want to make sure our community can see a little bit of themselves in Kin. We want them to have that familial and nostalgic feeling. Through the vibes of our events, down to the partnerships we make, and the content we release. We want our consumer to define who “The Folks” are.
Where do you see the brand expanding over the coming year? And beyond?
Over the next year we will be in 10-12 Kansas City bars and will continue to share Kin through sponsorships and activations. Over time we began distributing nationally. Kin will be everywhere.
