What started in a Kensington distillery a decade ago has quietly become one of the biggest alcohol brands in America.

And its founders say they have no plans to leave Philadelphia, writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer..

Surfside, the spiked tea and lemonade brand from local company Stateside Spirits, has posted growth numbers that would seem implausible if they weren’t documented.

It sold 200,000 cases in its first year, 1.3 million in 2023, nearly 5 million in 2024, and 11.1 million cases last year. 

That trajectory has made it one of the fastest-growing alcohol brands in the country.

The company was founded by area natives Matt and Bryan Quigley and brothers Clement and Zach Pappas.

They launched Stateside Vodka in 2015 before pivoting to the ready-to-drink market that would make them a household name. 

Surfside now accounts for roughly 90 percent of company sales. Meanwhile, Stateside has grown to around 340 employees with distribution in all 50 states.

Co-founder Clem Pappas credits the brand’s appeal to a gap in the market. 

“We’re meeting what was previously an unmet demand,” he said, describing Surfside as delivering “all the convenience and the alcohol level of [a light] beer, where you can drink a few of them and you’re not getting sloshed.”

Now the company is betting that lightning can strike twice. 

Its latest release, Super Lyte, is a sports-drink-inspired canned cocktail that Pappas says has already exceeded expectations. 

“The initial response is way beyond our expectation,” he said. “It feels like another hit.”

Despite reported interest from major beverage conglomerates, the founders say a sale is not on the table. 

Instead, they are moving into a new Center City headquarters, doubling down on their Philadelphia roots even as the brand outgrows them.

For more on how a Philly-born brand became a national alcohol powerhouse, read the full story in The Philadelphia Inquirer.