Hard seltzer rose to precedence in 2020, but alternative alcoholic beverages have been gobbling up shelf and cooler space for over half-a-decade. The aforementioned hard seltzer, hard kombucha hard sparkling teas and all manner of CBD and THC-infused potables make up this segment, along with a new entrant, hard yerba mate. San Diego’s first locally based manufacturer of this niche product Yerbuzz, debuted last November. That company’s yerba mate-infused hard seltzer is contract-brewed in Northern California, warehoused in Poway and currently distributed exclusively in San Diego County. Owner Daniel Nierman was first to market, but he already has company in the form of Kové Yerba Mate, a local producer that debuted last month as a sister operation to a work-in-progress Miramar brewery benefiting from the guidance of a local brewery and distillery owner.
Kové is the brainchild of COO Josh Makler, Chief Creative Officer Ryder England and CEO Alexander Montelbano. The latter is a graduate of San Diego State University’s Business of Craft Beer certificate program and the founder of Invoak Brewing and Blending, a barrel-aged beer-focused operation established in 2019. While that interest’s oaked stock is maturing at its Miramar headquarters, Montelbano and his colleagues are advancing full speed ahead with its yerba-mate offshoot, working in partnership with Thorn Brewing headman Dennis O’Connor. In addition to an alternating proprietorship agreement with the Barrio Logan-based business, O’Connor is mentoring the Kové team and providing a secondary headquarters for the business sharing space with his own spin-off, ReBru Spirits. That interest, which uses out-of-code beers from Thorn and numerous other breweries to produced distilled spirits, debuted last fall.
“Dennis has joined the team on a co-founding interest level as a high-level advisor on business development, distribution and financial planning,” says Makler. “He will sit on the board with us and help us with many things from high-level executive decisions to day-to-day operations. We are excited to have made this partnership with him and work with someone who has been so successful in the San Diego craft industry.”
Under O’Connor, Thorn Brewing has grown from a tiny, neighborhood brewery and tasting room with zero distribution to one of the county’s larger, more prominent brewing companies, producing 8,000 barrels annually, operating a trio of public venues while distributing its beer throughout Southern California. He has diversified his portfolio with numerous projects, including ReBru, which is off to a solid start and, like Kové, is geared toward filling gaps in the rapidly expanding alternative-beverage industry.
Traditional yerba mate is a caffeine-rich South American beverage made by steeping dried leaves of its namesake plant in hot water. Kové’s take starts with a light non-alcoholic yerba mate tea. Organic raw sugar cane is added, then the cooled sweet tea is transferred to tanks where yeast and nutrients are added. After fermentation is achieved, the yerba mate is cold crashed, the yeast is removed and flavoring ingredients such as fruit juices, herbs and spices, are added. Once infusion has been achieved, the 5% alcohol-by-volume yerba mate is carbonated and packaged in kegs and cans.
Packed with vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants, yerba mate is often billed as a more healthful alternative to coffee, but the Kové crew notes that caffeine is not a key part of the equation for their products.
“We use a proprietary process to create a very light-brewed yerba mate to present low levels of caffeine in our beverage,” says Maker. “We aren’t looking to create a beverage that mixes an irresponsible amount of caffeine and alcohol. We are simply trying to create a better-for-you alcoholic beverage with concern to low sugar, low carbs and low calories for a light and refreshing drinking experience.”
Kové’s products are organic, gluten-free, vegan-friendly and made using real ingredients. They intend to seek USDA and gluten-free certifications once they grow a bit, but for now their focus is on the flavor profiles they have achieved in the initial Mango Colada and Mojito varieties they’ve brought to market thus far. Makler, whose production experience includes time at local hard-kombucha companies Boochcraft, Nova Easy Kombucha and Juneshine (where Montelbano most recently served as tasting room manager), expects to debut as many as three new flavors (along with a mixed-pack) by the summer: Lemonade Iced Tea, Passion Fruit Blackberry, and Peach Chili.
Kové’s products are currently available in roughly 50 local markets and liquor stores ranging from central San Diego to Oceanside. If all goes to plan, they will debut on the shelves of some larger grocery stores throughout the county in the first quarter of this year.