“Do you want to check out that Mormon soda shop?” could be an odd phrase that you’ll soon hear with alarming frequency.
Driving the news: In late April, dirty soda chain FiiZ Drinks entered the Canadian market with a location in Toronto’s Dufferin Mall. Franchising group Founder Brands, which is behind the move, is betting the viral bev will go head-to-head with bubble teas and iced lattes.
- “We think that dirty soda, or customized beverages, is the next big thing,” Adam Corrin, the co-founder and managing partner of Founder Brands, told The Peak.
Catch-up: Dirty sodas, or carbonated drinks boosted with customizable syrup flavourings, first took off in Utah thanks to its large Mormon population. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints forbids imbibing alcohol, tea, or coffee, but doesn’t say anything about pop.
- The concept took off after going viral on Mormon MomTok and gained further attention thanks to the popular reality TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Why it matters: The dirty soda craze is capitalizing on two of the biggest beverage trends of the past few years: the rise of cold drinks and the decline of alcohol consumption. Both of these are particularly in vogue with Gen Z, whose spending power continues to rise.
- Fun drinks won’t be a guaranteed slam dunk, though. McDonald’s announced it will be shutting down its drink-focused CosMc’s spinoff restaurant this month.
What’s next: Founder Brands is looking to open 100 FiiZ locations across Canada over the next 10 years. Corrin claims that a bunch of potential franchisees have expressed interest and said Founder Brands will look for location-specific ways to “Canadianize” menus.—QH