Devotion Vodka, the world’s first gluten-free, sugar-free and 100% Made in the USA flavored vodka family, today announced another milestone, as the brand received the coveted 2014 Rising Star Growth Brand Award in the spirits category.
Presented by the Beverage Information Group, the Rising Star Growth Brand Awards presentation took place on Wednesday, April 9, at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Convention & Exposition. Devotion Vodka CEO Drew Adelman, along with Partner and COO Mike Calleja, accepted the prestigious award in front of thousands of industry executives at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.
The Beverage Information Group’s Growth Brand Awards are based on the industry standard consumption data gathered every year for publication in leading handbooks and directories. To be considered for the honor, Rising Star Brands must have demonstrated significant growth over a short period of time, while making a notable impression in the spirits marketplace, with a minimum requirement of case sales being 20,000, 9-liter cases. Devotion Vodka has experienced four years of consistent case sales growth and year-over-year case sales had doubled in 2013.
“I always knew that bringing a demonstrably different product to market, in a highly competitive category without the support of a global parent company, was going to be an incredible challenge,” said Mike Calleja, Partner & COO, Devotion Vodka. “This honor validates all of our hard work, while reinforcing that Devotion Vodka is not only a pioneer, but also a growing brand in the gluten-free and sugar-free premium spirits marketplace.”
The company, which stayed committed to a core philosophy of developing strong brand recognition in select key markets – proving to be an effective business model – is now strategically expanding distribution nationwide through a partnership with The Action Group USA. To support expansion, and as the popularity of gluten-free and sugar-free products continues to increase, Devotion Vodka was recently granted permission by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to be the only vodka brand to print both “Gluten-Free” and “No Added Sugar” on its bottles, a major breakthrough and a key differentiator for a growing company battling global brands for shelf space.
“Being recognized as a Rising Star Growth Brand is an unprecedented achievement for Drew and Mike, and an incredibly strong endorsement for the Devotion brand, as it rolls out nationwide,” said Lenny Roberts, Partner, The Action Group USA.
Available in five refreshing fruit flavors: Wild Cherry, Coconut, Blood Orange, Black and Blue and “The Perfect Cosmo,” along with the original, Devotion Vodka is quickly becoming a popular choice for guiltless specialty cocktails at home, and is the perfect alternative for adults who are more conscious about what they consume.
Devotion Vodka, which is 100% corn based, teamed up with Allen Flavors, the #1 privately owned flavor company and maker of Arizona Iced Tea, to develop a process of eliminating sugars as a flavoring agent in vodka. Many mass-produced flavored vodkas available in the marketplace have been diluted by sugary flavoring agents. In lieu of sugar, Devotion uses an essence process along with natural flavor compounds to ensure its flavored vodkas maintain sugar-free attributes. Devotion Vodka has an SRP of $19.99. For more information and delicious drink recipes, visit www.devotionvodka.com.
