PotassiumBeal Brown grew up primarily in West Texas, from Midland, and her family’s ranch still owns a ranch in Fort Davis. This true Texan is the founder of the #1 selling hard seltzer brand in Texas. Her Lone River Ranch Water also took off across the country, expanding the mystique of West Texas and the simplicity of its classic cocktail.
Many places are associated with the signature drink. When in New Orleans, you order a Sazerac. In Kentucky, it has to be mint julep. In Connecticut, you should be sipping on a Moscow Mule. Where Brown grew up, the drink of choice was ranch water—usually tequila, soda and a dash of lime—the simple, refreshing and low-sugar cousin of the margarita.
Ranch water is quickly gaining fans these days, and the success of Katie Beal Brown’s brand of canned cocktails certainly has something to do with it.
“When I lived in New York, I provided ranch water to my friends,” says Bill Brown paper city fort worth. “It allows me to better describe where I’m coming from.”
Her friends love it, and the Ranch Water legend has really caught on in recent years. Brown’s own ranch roots gave her the idea to can a West Texas classic, and in 2020 she’s done just that. Lone River Ranch Water continues to ride the tequila resurgence wave as well as the low-carb craze.
“We were the first pasture water to be sold in cans, and with the success we’ve seen, it’s attracted a lot of competition,” Brown said. “It’s been very effective. We’re still No. 1 in Texas and America”
The number one position comes from Nielsen’s calculations. Lone River Ranch Water is currently outpacing its nearest competitor and has more than double its market share in the ranch water/tequila soda segment. In fact, in recent months, Lone River sales accounted for 44% to 48% of the market’s total sales.
Most cans of Lone River contain 80 calories, four percent ABV, and only two carbohydrates. The ingredients are simple and tequila-free, but these hard seltzers combine carbonated water, alcohol, lime juice and organic agave nectar to mimic the taste of ranch water. Available in four flavors including Original, Spicy, Rio Red Grapefruit, and in the 12-pack, you can also taste the prickly pear variety.
After launching Lone River, Beal Brown and her husband moved to Fort Worth to continue growing their beverage empire and raising a family.
“My husband is from Houston,” she said. “So Fort Worth feels like a perfect cross between Houston and West Texas. It has a small-town feel and access to all the cultures.”
Lone River and future beverage plans
In August 2021, Lone River’s meteoric rise in tequila soda markets in Texas and Tennessee was acquired by Diageo, helping it become a national brand. With its huge presence in the alcoholic beverages market, Diageo already has more than 200 brands, including Smirnoff, Tanqueray, Casamigos and Guinness. Beal Brown appreciates Diageo’s belief that every brand has a story and wants her to continue telling the unique story of Lone River Ranch Water.
“We’re headquartered in Fort Worth, and manufacturing operations are now spread across the country,” says Beal Brown. “We expanded nationwide last year and now work with over 300 distributors. We needed a strategic partner with the expertise to do this.”
Katie Beal Brown thinks it all goes back to the origin story, differentiating her canned cocktails from others on the market. The packaging and marketing of Lone River Ranch Water reinforces the vastness of West Texas.They’re working with high-profile brand ambassadors like musician/actor Ryan Bingham, and on yellowstone park premiere (of course, yellowstone park is the show that made Bingham famous).
“We shot our first commercial on my family’s ranch with our own ranch hands,” says Beal Brown.
Lone River Ranch Water continues to tell its story, spreading the simplicity of ranch water across the country. Lone River launched its newest flavor last year, called Ranch Rita, to great success. The canned margarita uses the same simple ingredients, but the recipe is heavier with lime and agave, making it 150 calories, 6 percent ABV, and 12 carbs.bill brown told paper city New flavors will be added to the Ranch Rita line soon.
Now, Lone River Ranch Water can say it’s West Texas bred, headquartered in Fort Worth, and ranks #1 in the country. It’s not a bad Texas story.
