Surfside, a canned iced tea and vodka drink from Philadelphia-based Stateside Brands, is the fastest-growing alcohol brand in the country, writes Chloe Sorvino for Forbes.
The idea for the summer’s most popular ready-to-drink spirits beverage came to vodka entrepreneur Matt Quigley after he noticed a lot of discarded bottles of iced tea on the streets of Philadelphia.
“People just don’t naturally digest their surroundings enough,” says Quigley, president of Stateside. “If you look at what is smashed on the curb and the street, it’ll tell you a lot about what the people of your city are actually drinking.”
He had an idea and brought it to his business partner, Clement Pappas, CEO of Stateside. Together, they started making alcoholic iced teas and lemonades as an alternative to hard seltzers and other canned beverages – to great success.
In its third year, Surfside is the fastest-growing brand among beers and ready-to-drink cocktails, with a $70 million increase in retail sales already this year. This month, the drink reached 5 million cases sold in 2025, surpassing the total sales from all of last year.
“I’ve been on a flat-out sprint for three-plus years now, trying to keep pace with it,” said Pappas.
Surfside is projected to generate $300 million in revenue this year, with sales reaching as many as 12 million cases.
Read more about Stateside Brands in Forbes.
