A lot of people know Tim Jones as a talented cartoonist who created the comic strip Sour Grapes, which currently appears in forty-seven newspapers across the country.
“I’ve always wanted to find ways to license the characters from my comic strip, Sour Grapes, which always sounded like a flavor to me,” Tim said.
Passing by the Yacht Club Soda facility in Centredale one day this past April, Tim decided to stop in and pitch the idea about a possible collaboration and a licensing agreement. With nothing to lose, he was both thrilled and surprised by how much the company liked the idea. In fact, John Sgambato, the Yacht Club CEO liked it so much that within six months, they developed a pleasing sour grape-flavored soda, producing the product and releasing it for distribution this past October.
“We’re always looking for creative ways to partner our drinks with other small businesses, and would love to explore more opportunities,” said Sgambato, in a press release.
This is the first sour flavored beverage produced by Yacht Club, and the first soda that the company has licensed. The new brand is quickly becoming a favorite, particularly among young soda drinkers who enjoy the sour flavor. Tim has taken the soda with him to several Comic-Cons, and his fans can’t seem to get enough of Sour Grapes, his comic strip, as well as the new craft soda. Retailers and restaurants are also requesting the brand, and distribution is picking up.
“I’m very happy with it,” Tim said. “It’s a novel product. It tastes great and everybody who tries it loves it. I brought a case of the soda with me up to Portland, Maine, where I did Kid-Con, and it sold out.”
The soda bottle label, which features an image of Tim’s signature character from the comic strip, Aesop, was designed by Jones’s daughter Jillian, a talented graphic designer. The character appears in the foreground, with various scenes from the comic strip in the background. There is a QR Code on the label, which allows drinkers to access the Sour Grapes comic strip, while they sip the sour grape-flavored soda.
The soda itself is a bright green color, which matches the logo of the comic strip, and has a natural grape and lemon flavor that is mildly sour. The soda is available in 12-packs.
“We’re going to be developing it further, as far as packing goes,” Tim explained. “And there are plans for adding new labels in the near future, to keep it current.”
Tim is grateful to John Sgambato and Yacht Club, a company that he recognizes as iconic in Rhode Island. Yacht Club is a family-owned and operated local manufacturer that has been providing premium quality beverages to Rhode Island since it opened in 1915.
“It’s a unique brand,” Tim said. “And John at Yacht Club is a company that is always thinking outside the box.”
Yacht Club Soda is located at 2239 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence. They are open Monday through Saturday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. For more information about Yacht Club’s new Sour Grapes soda brand and their full line of beverages, visit yachtclubsoda.com, or contact them by phone or 401-231-9290, or email info@yachtclubsoda.com. You can contact Tim Jones via his website. sourgrapescomic.com.
