The Category Move
Saint James Iced Tea, the organic RTD tea brand backed by AriZona Iced Tea co-founder John M. Ferolito, is stepping outside its core iced tea portfolio for the first time with the launch of Saint James Yerba Mate — a certified organic, non-GMO functional beverage line positioned squarely in one of the fastest-growing segments of the non-alc shelf. The new line arrives in three SKUs — Mango Passionfruit, Raspberry Lemon, and Strawberry Tangerine — each delivering 150mg of natural caffeine, 20–25 calories, and 3–4g of sugar per 16oz resealable aluminum bottle.
The timing is deliberate. Yerba mate has emerged as a high-velocity category at retail, drawing shelf space and planogram attention from buyers looking to broaden their better-for-you and functional beverage sets. For Saint James, the extension leverages existing distributor relationships and retail account penetration rather than requiring a ground-up route-to-market build.
Distribution Footprint
Saint James Yerba Mate is live now on Amazon and direct-to-consumer via the brand's own website at $39.99 per 12-pack, with brick-and-mortar distribution expanding through Kroger and Albertsons banners nationwide. The brand projects the new line will reach more than 7,500 retail doors by the end of 2026. That rollout layers onto a base that already spans more than 25,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada — a footprint the brand built on the strength of 164% year-over-year growth reported in August 2026.
Recent distribution wins underscore the brand's retail momentum heading into the yerba mate launch. Saint James launched nationally at Costco this month with an exclusive variety pack, and it activated an on-premise partnership with fast-casual chain Just Salad, placing its traditional tea SKUs across all 120 U.S. locations. The Costco door and the Just Salad on-premise account both signal that buyers across multiple channels are receptive to the brand's clean-label, organic positioning — a commercial tailwind that should ease retail sell-in for the new mate line.
Marketing & Outlook
To drive consumer pull-through at launch, Saint James is deploying its first multi-celebrity national marketing campaign, featuring NHL star Jack Hughes, former NFL wide receiver Victor Cruz, and entrepreneur Isabela Rangel Grutman. The 360-degree campaign spans out-of-home placements, consumer sampling programs, and college ambassador and athlete partnerships extending through fall 2026 — activation layers that typically correlate with accelerated off-premise velocity during a product's critical first depletion window.
"Our consumers already turn to Saint James as part of their daily routine, so creating a more functional option was the next logical step," said Brenden Cohen, co-founder and co-CEO of Saint James Iced Tea. Co-founder and co-CEO Brad Neumann added that the campaign's diverse talent roster was chosen specifically to reflect the range of use occasions yerba mate serves, from morning training sessions to late-night work stretches.
For retail buyers and wholesale partners in the non-alc and functional beverage segment, the Saint James Yerba Mate launch represents a supplier with proven sell-through history expanding into a high-margin, high-velocity category. Distributors already carrying the iced tea line can add the mate SKUs without opening a new supplier relationship — a meaningful efficiency in an era of ongoing SKU rationalization pressure across the non-alc cold box. With Kroger and Albertsons already in the account base and a Costco relationship now established, the brand's retail infrastructure is well-positioned to absorb a meaningful incremental case volume push before year-end.
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.
