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St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch (A-B), a division of AB InBev, is doubling the size of its Bud Light Lime “Ritas” portfolio with the introduction of two new permanent flavors: Mang-O-Rita and Raz-Ber-Rita.
The new flavored malt beverages (FMBs) contain 8 percent alcohol by volume and blend Bud Light Lime with the taste of mango or raspberry Margaritas, the company says.
“Lime-A-Rita and Straw-Ber-Rita are two of our most successful innovations to-date,” said Rob McCarthy, vice president of Bud Light, in a statement. “They allowed us to introduce the Bud Light brand into occasions it hadn't traditionally played in. We anticipate Raz-Ber-Rita and Mang-O-Rita to continue extending the brand successfully into the popular Margarita space. With four permanent ‘Rita’ flavors to choose from, and our new convenient mixed pack featuring them all, we're excited to see consumers experiment and create their own ‘Mix-A-Rita’ combinations.”
To encourage mixology, the brand created a four-flavor Mix-A-Rita 18-pack. The variety pack includes six Lime-A-Ritas, four Straw-Ber-Ritas, four Mang-O-Ritas, and four Raz-Ber-Ritas. In addition to the variety pack, Mang-O-Rita and Raz-Ber-Rita are available in three pack sizes: 12-packs of 8-ounce cans, four-packs of 16-ounce cans, and 24-ounce individual cans.
The new “Ritas” join Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita, Straw-Ber-Rita and seasonal Cran-Brrr-Rita, a limited-edition seasonal offering that was released in 2013. Citing Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.’s (IRI) 2013 year-to-date data, Straw-Ber-Rita and Lime-A-Rita represented the No. 1 and No. 2 varieties in the FMB segment, the company says.