The ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage industry is booming, yet standing out in this crowded space can be challenging, especially for new brands. Enter Saint Spritz—a premium, better-for-you canned cocktail inspired by the classic Italian Aperol Spritz. Created by JoJo Fletcher (beloved former star of ABC’s The Bachelorette) and her sister-in-law Mallory Patton, the young brand is already making impressive waves. Despite launching recently, Saint Spritz has landed national distribution through retail giant Target, an achievement that reflects the co-founders’ strategic vision and thoughtful planning.
JoJo Fletcher brings far more than celebrity recognition to the table. A seasoned entrepreneur known for her sharp eye for detail and passion for brand-building, she has successfully transitioned from reality TV to becoming a respected figure in the beverage industry. Alongside Mallory Patton, whose keen business insight complements Fletcher’s creative branding expertise, the duo has crafted Saint Spritz as a wine-based cocktail option free of excessive sugars and artificial ingredients. Their shared vision was sparked by memorable experiences traveling through Italy, where they fell in love with the country’s iconic spritz culture.
However, Saint Spritz represents more than a refreshing drink—it was created to foster genuine moments of connection and relaxation. JoJo and Mallory open up about their entrepreneurial journey with us, sharing insights into how they navigated the challenges of launching a women-owned, family-operated business within a typically male-dominated industry.
Check out our full interview with them below.
JoJo Fletcher & Mallory Patton Talk Saint Spritz
How did your shared Italian travel experiences inspire the creation of Saint Spritz?
We absolutely loved the ritual of the Italian Aperitivo hour. We loved gathering to enjoy a spritz and olives on the patio before heading out for dinner. Time moves slower in Europe, and we really wanted to bottle the essence of that up.
What unique challenges have you faced as female founders in the competitive beverage industry?
Gaining a share of mind when new products are coming to market every week. Consumers have so many great options, but we felt there was a white space in a ready-to-drink spritz. Having a great idea, product, and brand is one thing, but competing with the big guys is very difficult. It was challenging to find co-packers that would do small runs at launch.
You have huge multinational companies taking up the majority of line time, and they set very high MOQs for new brands. Another challenge was that we wanted everything done right and the product to be very premium. We wanted to use the best juice, the best cartons, the best cans. Most brands start small and use wrapped cans because printed cans have higher MOQS. We had to go all in and invest in creating something more premium.
How did your background prepare you for launching a national beverage brand?
Although neither of us had prior alcohol industry experience, we do have an innate hard-working and entrepreneurial spirit, and we truly believe we can do anything we set our minds to.
Mallory’s background in B2B sales and networking was extremely helpful in getting our foot in the door with distribution and retail, and JoJo’s expertise in brand creation & marketing helped us create a strong sense of brand & consumer loyalty while also helping get national awareness.
We’re very lucky to come from a family of entrepreneurs who have started and sold several different businesses, so we knew what it would take to get this idea off the ground and we’re relentless in pursuit of being the best ready-to-drink spritz on the market.
What differentiates Saint Spritz from other ready-to-drink cocktail brands?
Saint Spritz does an incredible job not only bringing the consumer a delicious ready-to-drink spritz but also bottling up the essence of the Amalfi Coast. Saint Spritz is made with better-for-you ingredients and gets its sweetness from real juice.
We use 30% juice, which is the most expensive part of our formulation- but it’s worth it because Saint Spritz tastes as good as any spritz you would order in a fancy cocktail bar. The market did not need another seltzer, and we are absolutely not a seltzer. We felt that a lot of canned drinks were either way too sweet/fake or just tasted like flavored water with bubbles.
What was the most surprising lesson you learned during the product development process?
How much time it would take. We went through probably 35+ renditions of the Amalfi. Little tweaks to the amount of juice, the carbonation, or the bitters made huge differences.
JoJo was also extremely particular on being the exact shade of bright orange that our favorite Italian spritzes were WITHOUT using red dye 40 like we found out they were. Matching the vivid orange color naturally was extremely difficult, but eventually, we got there!
How did you secure national distribution with Target as an early-stage brand? Can you tell us a bit about that process and what advice you would offer other founders looking to secure distribution?
Mallory had been in contact with the national buyer through her network, and then we obtained a small test in Dallas Fort Worth in the Summer of 2024. Our distributor in Dallas, Andrews, was really helpful in this process. They assisted us in securing a meeting with the local buyer and really went to bat for us, giving us awesome placement and displays in each of those four test stores.
As a team, we knew this was our chance to prove our product was worthy of being on all shelves across the country and narrowed in our focus on making sure these accounts succeeded. From social media to Founder meet & greets and, honestly, just word of mouth that our brand was now available in these stores, our Spritzes performed incredibly well during the test launch.
This led to the national team at Target approaching us about a bigger rollout, which we were so thrilled about. The biggest challenge is that they wanted us to roll out nationally in April, and at that time, we were already well into the fall. Obtaining distribution in OND is extremely difficult in beverages. We really went back and forth on if we should roll out nationally, but ultimately, we said YES and took the jump!
Target worked hand in hand with us in helping to secure distribution. It really spoke to what an incredible partner they would be to the brand. Getting a distribution network together for the whole Target footprint was a huge feat. We are very proud of our team. We are over the moon to be launching with Target nationally and are forever grateful to the amazing team over there.
My advice to other founders would be to secure regional distribution and focus on that one region, then look into expanding from there as your retail relationships grow. It is much easier to obtain distribution when you can come to the wholesalers with Purchase Orders from buyers.
How do you balance family dynamics while running a business together?
We love working together as a family. When you work with people you don’t know personally, it’s hard to know what is going on in their lives. We are so close as a family that it creates an awesome dynamic of support. We know if one another is going through a stressful time or if someone’s kid is sick, we can step up to support. We also know each other’s personalities well, so it makes tough conversations much easier to navigate. This family has worked in business together before, so it’s pretty much par for the course, it’s all blended.
What does “creating moments of connection” mean to you beyond your beverage brand?
We think that the world needs more connection. After covid, we really realized the importance of social connection and connecting in person. Looking each other in the eyes- laughing and smiling, embracing- this is what life is about. We absolutely love entertaining and gathering as a family- and Saint Spritz is all about that, elevating the little moments of life that make memories.
How do you support and empower each other as female founders?
JoJo and I are our biggest cheerleaders. We are always cheering each other on and pushing each other to keep going. We know that starting our own brand is an opportunity that many women would love to have, so we take that as a privilege.
What’s your long-term vision for Saint Spritz?
Our vision for Saint Spritz is to create an incredible brand that is nationally, and internationally known as the better for you ready for you spritz. We want to include the American consumer in that aspirational lifestyle they see on Instagram. You don’t have to be in Europe to feel the elevated vibes of aperitivo hour, you can set up snacks and sit with your friends and family, enjoying conversation and laughs over a delicious spritz.
We are by no means beverage industry experts, so the goal ultimately is to work with strategic partners to help bring that vision to life on a bigger scale so we can continue to innovate.
How do you maintain work-life balance while running a national brand?
We work super hard, and since we run this as a family business, there are not many days off. If it’s Sunday and we’re having a family dinner at the house, we are talking about Saint Spritz. However, each of us has guardrails to block off time with our individual families. In the evenings, we put our phones away and we’re extremely present.
Also, we know if there was ever something we really needed to get in touch about, we can walk outside and knock on the door since all founders live 1 min from each other.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice about career and personal development, what would it be?
Trust the timing of the universe. When opportunities arise, take them, but when doors close, it’s for a good reason. There’s always something better around the corner.
Lastly, is there a specific mantra, quote, or affirmation that you hold close to your heart?
GO BIG OR GO HOME
Saint Spritz is currently available on select Target store shelves and will be rolling out with their national distribution beginning in early April. Additionally, you can find Saint Sprints on shelves in Total Wine, HEB, Albertsons and Tom Thumb.
Emily Sprinkle, also known as Emma Loggins, is a designer, marketer, blogger, and speaker. She is the Editor-In-Chief for Women's Business Daily where she pulls from her experience as the CEO and Director of Strategy for Excite Creative Studios, where she specializes in web development, UI/UX design, social media marketing, and overall strategy for her clients.
Emily has also written for CNN, Autotrader, The Guardian, and is also the Editor-In-Chief for the geek lifestyle site FanBolt.com
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