WIth the acquisition of the Ooh La Lemin Lemonade brand from Kona Gold Beverages, Glendale’s Sprecher Brewing Company are entering the all-natural beverage sector.
Sprecher says that Ooh La Lemin is “lemonade for the modern age,” having no added sugar and 10 calories in each 12-ounce can. The drink is available in a number of flavors, including Original, Citrus Splash, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry Lemonade and others.
The acquisition is the latest in the company’s aggressive growth strategy that kicked off in 2020 with the purchase of Sprecher by an investor group that includes Sharad Chadha and followed with the purchase in 2021 of five soda brands, including Chicago-based Green River, Black Bear, and Caruso; Olde Brooklyn; and WBC.
“This acquisition is very exciting for us,” said Chadha in a statement released Wednesday. “By adding an all-natural beverage category to our already successful craft sodas and beer divisions we are able maximize our distribution channels and provide even more bold and delicious tasting beverages that consumers love.”
Chadha said that Sprecher’s own brands have experienced an average growth rate of 35 percent year over annually and sales have tripled.
“In total, since 2020, Sprecher has experienced a 330 percent percent increase in distribution of our craft sodas and beers,” Chadha said. “Our beverages are now in more than 23,000 stores and we have 100’s of new accounts and expanded accounts.”
Because of the expansion, the Glendale company has upgraded its bottling line and added a new canning line. It has also added warehouse space and more than doubled its staff to 135.
Chadha said that Sprecher is now running two shifts a week – four 10-hour days – to meet demand and he expects that adding Ooh La Lemin will require further staff expansion.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
