Philadelphia-based Stateside Brands is relaunching its foundational Stateside Vodka under a new brand identity and marketing campaign titled "The New American Classic," targeting 36 U.S. markets at a suggested retail price of $20 for a 750ml bottle. The campaign, developed with Philadelphia creative agency Quaker City Mercantile, includes refreshed packaging designed in-house and a lifestyle push timed to the holiday selling season.
The Numbers
The rebrand draws on significant commercial momentum elsewhere in the Stateside Brands portfolio. Surfside — the company's vodka-based iced tea and lemonade RTD line — recorded 11.1 million case depletions in 2025, up from 4.9 million cases the prior year, and was named "2025 Spirit Brand of the Year" by IMPACT Magazine. Super Lyte, a vodka-based hard ade launched in March 2026, claimed the title of the largest spirits RTD launch of all time, according to the company. Stateside Vodka itself holds a 95-point score and Double Gold medal from the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Why It Matters
The premium American-made vodka segment remains fiercely competitive, with challenger brands facing sustained pressure from entrenched national players. Stateside's decision to hold its $20 price point while refreshing the brand's visual identity signals a deliberate trade-up play — positioning the liquid as accessible quality for everyday vodka drinkers without sacrificing shelf presence. The move also diversifies the company's revenue story beyond the RTD category, where growth has been concentrated. Distribution is continuing to expand beyond the current 36-market footprint, suggesting the relaunch is partly a platform for broader national placement conversations with retail and on-premise buyers.
The campaign leans heavily into the brand's Philadelphia roots. Executions capture local settings — corner bars, tailgates, holiday gatherings — and the brand extends its civic profile through a naming-rights partnership at Stateside Live!, South Philly's entertainment venue, and official vodka status with the Philadelphia Phillies and a partnership with the New York Yankees. These sports and venue affiliations give Stateside Vodka material on-premise and sponsorship visibility that most challenger spirits brands at the $20 price point cannot match.
What's Next
"We have spent over a decade building brands that we are proud of," said Matt Quigley, President, Co-Founder, and original distiller of Stateside Brands. "Now we're bringing our original spirit to life with a fresh campaign that feels unmistakably Stateside." CEO and Co-Founder Clement Pappas framed the effort as a return to the company's origin point after the RTD portfolio's breakout run. Consumers and trade buyers can visit the Stateside Distillery and Vodka Bar & Tasting Room at 1700 N. Hancock Street in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood for an on-site brand experience. The company is expected to continue expanding distribution nationally through 2027.
For operators and retailers tracking the premium spirits and RTD landscape, Stateside's dual strategy — anchoring a core vodka SKU while scaling high-velocity RTD brands — offers a template worth watching as the broader beverage alcohol category navigates post-pandemic normalization and shifting consumer spending patterns.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
