Founder Interview:

This California family scaled their happy hour drink of choice through retail and community

What started as Tif Trevethan's backyard summer cocktail recipe has turned into a business built by the entire family. In August 2022, Tif along with her husband Kelly and daughter Kelsey, left their day jobs to launch Tif's Spiked, hand-crafted cocktails in a can that are now distributed at more than 140+ retailers between New York and California.

We caught up with the family to check in now that it's been nearly a year since their launch.

by Emma C

July 5, 2023

FOUNDER INTERVIEW

What is your background and how did Tif's Spiked come to be?

Late last year, I took the leap and left my corporate job to launch a canned cocktail company with my parents. Tif’s Spiked is a spirit-based canned cocktail brand run by myself, my mom Tif, and my dad Kelly, that all started, as you may have guessed, with Tif.

Determined to recreate the taste of summer that can only be found in a beachside cocktail, Tif (aka Mom) started messing around behind the bar and created what soon became the number one reason people came to our house. After pouring countless pitchers for friends and family, we realized that not only did we need to share the goodness with everyone, but we weren't alone in our search for a better-quality canned cocktail. So despite our lack of experience in the beverage industry, we decided to go for it and launch our own. With backgrounds in finance, tech, and running a household, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we knew we had a killer product and there was no looking back!

Tif and Kelsey Trevethan, Tif's Spiked mother + daughter team

What did the process of bringing Tif’s Spiked to the market look like?

With a small team of 3, we really focused on community engagement and smaller retailers that we felt aligned well with our brand and original Spiked Lemonade in California and Manhattan/Long Island. Soon after launching in August 2022, we knew we wanted to add additional flavors that provided not only a range of spirits but a variety of transportive flavor combos. Tif got back to playing around with recipes, and earlier this year we launched our 3 newest flavors - Tif’s Spicy Marg, Tif’s Spiked Punch, and Tif’s Spiked Cooler. Currently available in 140+ locations, we’ve recently started to launch in some larger retailers including Total Wine and Save Mart, and are excited to continue expanding in CA and NY this year.

How do you think your own personal experiences shape the concept of Tif’s Spiked?

Our family grew up in California and was always by the water -whether it was the beach or the lake, we were there and always had cocktails in tow. We created our brand with our love of the water and good drinks in mind and wanted to create something that truly encapsulates our family vibe. Happy hour at our house has always been filled with friends and family, and we’re excited to invite everyone else in to join us.