Some businesses are born in a boardroom. Saint Spritz was born somewhere between an Italian vacation, Sunday family dinners, and a collective frustration with flat leftover Prosecco. Sisters-in-law JoJo Fletcher and Mallory Vaughan Patton set out to create the ready-to-drink spritz they couldn't find on store shelves—and ended up building one of the buzziest canned cocktail brands around.
Since summer is officially here, we sat down with JoJo and Mallory about their founder journey, hosting essentials, and why they're betting on connection over chaos.
What did you feel was missing from the ready-to-drink space before you launched?
J: We vacationed in Italy as a family [and] we all were just so into the spritz culture. We would come back home, and Mallory would host Sunday dinners as a family. She'd be whipping up spritzes, and we just realized the ones that I made always tasted different than the ones that Mallory made, and we always were left with wasting this bottle of Prosecco that would just go bad because we didn't have enough.
One day, we were sitting there and looking at each other, [thinking] “there's got to be something already mixed and ready to go that is just as good.” Mel and I actually went to the grocery store right after that.
We were going through the spritz aisles, the canned drinks options and literally nothing existed that we were looking for. We started to do a deep dive into all the ingredients, and we just realized there were so many ingredients that we were not aware of… and that kind of just was the aha moment. Mel and I just kind of went to work.
What makes a spritz the ultimate summer drink in your opinion?
J: Fun fact about me, I turned before we had our own company, I made everything that I drank into a spritz because I personally love the feeling. I would create my own spritz, regardless of whatever you serve me, because personally, there's nothing more refreshing than just a crisp, bubbly, light spritz.
M: It's a great summer cocktail, just because it's lighter. If I'm outside in the sun, sometimes I don't really want to drink a glass of rosé, they get hot after a while. Pulling an icy cold Saint Spritz can out of a cooler, just like cracking a can by the pool, or on a boat, it's like summer in a can. But we are firm believers that the spritz is a year-round drink, and actually, when you think about holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, where you're really indulging in heavy meals, having a refreshing, lighter drink option is the perfect balance.
Do you think social drinking culture is shifting away from “party” energy and more toward intentional connection?
J: People care about what's going into their bodies. There's no doubt about that. So, to have a drink that's ready to drink and you feel good about drinking is so amazing. People are definitely drinking more intentionally, and I think, being that 5% ABV, it's kind of like just a beer.
M: It's like you're either having wine or a margarita, and this is just kind of in that perfect 5% zone that you know if you're wanting to be mindful and be present with your friends, it's a lighter offering. I like to say it's like microdosing wine.
What’s it actually like building a business with family—especially as sisters-in-law?
J: Honestly, a lot of people warned us before going into the business, but I think personally, for Mal and I, especially, it's been such a blessing, and it's really worked in our favor. We both have the same goals in mind, and we trust each other more than anything, but we're so very different in how we give to the company, so I think we're like the perfect balance.
M: It's brought us closer as a family because we spend literally all the time together. We all talk to each other so comfortably, there's no awkward corporate [communication]. I think that kind of closeness is really special.
What has been the most rewarding moment since launching Saint Spritz?
J: Coming into this industry, none of us had a background in beverage, so we did a lot of consulting calls and asking people's opinions on things. What we were met with is: “This is really tough. You guys aren't gonna make it into mass retail till like year five. You're gonna have to spend $10 million pre-launch.” Everything is super negative. And I think the most rewarding thing is that we're doing it like we said.
What’s currently on your ideal summer hosting menu? Any entertaining trends you’re loving right now?
J: We just threw a Saint Spritz pop-up where we did Saint Spritz on a charcuterie cart, which was super cute. It looked like an ice cream tray or little ice cream cart. They had nuts, olives, cheese, and so they made you like personal charcuterie boards out of that. I love a girl dinner. Spritz and little snacks!
