Danica Dias Talks Grown Folks: Infusing a Creole Heritage Into Soul-Food-Inspired Hard Seltzers

To learn more about this soul-food-inspired beverage brand that is creating a legacy, CONTRAST spoke to Danica Dias, founder of Grown Folks.

Note: This conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Can you share the story behind Grown Folks and what inspired you to start the first brand for soul-food-inspired hard seltzers and craft beer? Having worked in food and beverage for decades, I saw a complete lack of alcohol products that spoke to me and my cultural background. The flavor profiles represented by existing brands didn’t resonate with me. In 2020 during the COVID lockdown, I was at home with my two-year-old son going through an old accordion 3 x 5 card catalog recipe book with my late Grandma’s handwritten recipes. As I was recreating her famous Peaches N Dumplin recipe, the idea to create an alcoholic beverage featuring these familiar flavors came to me.

How have your Creole heritage and Southern traditions influenced the flavors and choices of beverages? The flavors that I chose for our hard seltzer were intentional in that they are representative of some of the most beloved sweet-focused soul food dishes that my family has enjoyed for generations. They are nostalgic and comforting for many, but also new and exciting for others who don’t have any alignment with Southern Black culture. Being that my ancestors had a connection to sugar cane in the South, as they often would add sugar to dishes for flavor when ingredients were limited, it was essential for me to create a sugar brew-based hard seltzer with sweet-forward flavors. For our beer Front Porch, there is a deep connection there to my memory of my Great-Grandpa who would relax on the front porch, chewing on a piece of sugar cane in one hand, with an old school can of Budweiser in his other hand.

Did you face any challenges when introducing a new concept like soul-food-inspired hard seltzers? Of course, some people were fearful of sweet-focused flavors. What’s interesting is that “sweet” is a taste profile that universally all people associate with joy, happiness and love. Yet, when applied to alcohol, there seems to be a somewhat negative connotation. The reality is that our flavors are so distinct and delicious that often I hear feedback from consumers whose minds have been changed about “sweet” flavors after trying Grown Folks.

What are your plans for Grown Folks, and do you see any upcoming trends in the industry that might shape the brand’s direction? We plan to expand our points of distribution in the California market and launch in additional markets later this year. We are leading with taste and culture, so you can expect to see us continue to innovate with new flavors and categories in the near future.