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Straw-ber-Rita and Lime-a-Rita were launched in 2012 at the Anheuser-Busch brewery near Baldwinsville.
In 2012, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev launched a new product, aimed primarily at drinkers who don't really like beer.
The Bud Light Lime-a-Rita proved so popular it moved quickly to become the leader in the "flavored alcohol beverage" market. In 2013, A-B InBev launched a spin-off, the Bud Light Straw-ber-Rita.
Both drinks got their start at the A-B plant near Baldwinsville, one of 12 in the company's U.S. system. The Baldwinsville brewery is well known within A-B InBev for its flexibility with new products and packaging -- and is often the launching spot for new products, like the recent Johnny Appleseed Hard Cider.
Now Nielsen, the market research company, has named the Lime-a-Rita product line as one of its 2014 Breakthrough Innovation winners, given to consumer products that change the marketplace with new ideas.
Nielson specifically cited the Lime-a-rita for its continued success since its launch:
The Lime-a-Rita line also helped stabilize employment and production at the local brewery, in the Radisson business park just outside Baldwinsville. Those products, plus the introduction of a 24-ounce canning line in 2012, led to some hiring and boosted the local plant's output to more than 6 million barrels per year.
Bud Light's "Ritas" now also include mango and raspberry flavors, and are produced at several of the company's plants.
In a story in today's New York Times, Anheuser-Busch's vice president for innovation said the Lime-a-Rita concept was initially inspired by a beer from Japan's Kirin brewery that was meant to be poured over ice.
"The over-ice principle seemed to be a really powerful ritual, and that led us to mixed drinks," A-B's Pat McGauley told the Times. "The biggest mixed drink in the world is the margarita, and that led to the Mexican bulldog."
The Mexican Bulldog, he explained, is a frozen margarita with a bottle of beer turned upside down in it. That was the direct inspiration for the Lime-a-Rita.
Here's full list of Nielsen's Breakthrough Innovation winners for 2014:
- Angry Orchard Hard Cider, The Boston Beer Co.
- Barcel Takis, Barcel USA
- Bud Light Lime Ritas, Anheuser-Busch
- Depend Silhouette Briefs for Women and Depend Real Fit Briefs for Men, Kimberly-Clark
- Febreze Car Vent Clip, Procter & Gamble
- Gevalia Kaffe Retail Coffee, Kraft Foods
- International Delight Iced Coffee, The WhiteWave Foods Co.
- Meow Mix Tender Centers, Big Heart Pet Brands
- Mucinex Fast-Max, Reckitt Benckiser
- Nabisco belVita Breakfast Biscuits, Mondelez Global LLC
- Nature Valley Protein Bars, General Mills
- Sargento Ultra Thin Slices, Sargento Foods
- Tide Pods, Procter & Gamble
- ZzzQuil, Procter & Gamble