RTD market expands in the US as Suntory, Asahi and Kirin bring Japanese staples to shelves

Jiji Press··USJPGB·Read original
2▲2 ▼0Impact / 5
Summary · why it matters

With inflation and health consciousness driving Americans away from alcohol, ready-to-drink canned beverages are gaining prominence in the United States, and Japanese staples are joining the fray. According to IWSR, a British drinks market research firm, US alcohol consumption fell by an average of 1% a year between 2015 and 2025, with beer and wine posting particularly steep declines in recent years, while RTD grew by an average of 14% a year over the same period. Measured in servings, RTD's share rose from 2% in 2015 to 8% in 2025, when the market reached 22 billion dollars, or roughly 3.5 trillion yen. Suntory Holdings began selling its minus 196 product in some states in 2023 and expanded it across the United States in 2025, while Asahi Group Holdings launched a version of Zeitaku Shibori tailored to the US market last December, and Kirin Holdings has been selling Hyoketsu in some regions since March this year. IWSR president Loe de Waal pointed to the intensity of competition, noting that while the United States has a huge number of RTD brands, only a few have succeeded, and said that for Japanese manufacturers to succeed it is important to link their products not only to Japanese food but also to a range of Japanese cultural elements such as film and music.

Impact on assets 2

Consumer Staples▲
Biotech & Genomic Medicine▲
Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd.
2503
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Kirin has been selling Hyoketsu in some US regions since March, tapping the fast-growing US RTD market.

Off-coverage companies 2

Suntory Holdings Limitedi
Private▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Suntory expanded its minus 196 RTD across the US in 2025 as the US RTD market reached $22bn.

IWSRi
Private± Mixedrelevance

IWSR is cited as the market-research source for RTD growth data, not an affected company.