In a memorable second from the 1980 comedy “Airplane!” a health care provider aboard the aircraft asks one of many passengers if he can fly the aircraft. “Absolutely you may’t be severe,” the person asks the physician. Famously, the physician replies, “I’m severe. And don’t name me ‘Shirley.’”
Now, a brand new beverage model is encouraging shoppers to name it Shirley. Simply Name Me Shirley (JCMS) is “a nod to the previous, a celebration of the current and a promise of timeless sophistication,” the model’s web site states.
JCMS launched in January, however the concept took place in 2023 after co-founders Sydney Attis and Mikayla Garcia have been catching up on considered one of their “long-distance bestie FaceTime” calls. The pair, who have been sorority sisters at Arizona State College, have been chatting about methods to department out from their company to give attention to one thing they have been actually enthusiastic about.
“We shared a lot of ‘Soiled Shirleys,’ or as we prefer to name them, Shirley Temple cocktails, throughout our time at ASU, each drank virgin variations as children and famous a niche out there — so it was a simple choice, we’d got down to create our personal canned Shirleys,” the pair says.
Attis and Garcia’s social media and advertising and marketing expertise, in addition to their sorority sisterhood, helped them set up the JCMS model.
“Creating something from the ground-up is a problem however doing it together with your greatest pal makes it simpler and nicely price it,” they are saying. “Being sorority sisters bonded us in school, together with our shared profession pursuits, so it’s no shock that we ended up creating two companies collectively. Our social media background solely made the creation of JCMS that a lot simpler.”
After the preliminary FaceTime name, the blueprints for JCMS branding have been performed inside every week. Attis and Garcia word their mixed creativity is “completely” the spine to their rising enterprise enterprise.
The duo describes the present canned cocktail market as aggressive.
“It’s predominantly male and crammed with manufacturers which have greater budgets, years of expertise and well-known names behind them — all of which make being an rising model fairly troublesome,” Attis and Garcia share. “Fortunately, we’re not quitters and acknowledge that now we have one thing actually particular to introduce to the area.”
JCMS is exclusive in a lot of methods, the co-founders state.
“We’re Gen Z feminine founders in a male dominant area, we rely closely on buyer suggestions — even creating new SKUs to fulfill their preferences — and our bevs are naturally ahead,” they are saying. “We give our clients choices on how they Shirley with out messing with the basic taste and magnificence of a Shriley Temple.”
JCMS at the moment provides three varieties: non-alcoholic, vodka and tequila. The alcohol variations are available at 5% alcohol-by-volume (ABV). The duo shares the importance of the model’s present lineup.
“Our Premium Vodka Shirley was the primary SKU we develop, and it’s usually the fan favourite; nonetheless, after opening up the ground to our clients on-line, we determine to broaden the lineup to supply extra of a alternative,” Attis and Garcia word. “Our Premium Tequila got here shortly after suggestions that buyers additionally actually loved Shirleys paired with tequila. Non-alc was one thing we had within the works already, however knew it was the proper choice once we acquired suggestions that folks needed to sip virgin Shirleys simply as a lot, and we may fulfill much more of a alternative by giving individuals the choice to sip her solo or add their most popular spirit.”
All three choices are freed from caffeine, gluten and Pink 40.
Attis and Garcia word that they’ve began sampling formulation for extra SKUs, however in the intervening time are centered on increasing the JCMS distribution footprint. They hope to start out extra product growth by late subsequent yr.
Presently, JCMS is offered in-stores in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. The co-founders are working to broaden distribution and “make an enormous splash” in 2026, they are saying, and their subsequent cease is California.
Final month, the model introduced that its spirit-based canned cocktails have been out there for pre-order and delivery to 45 states.
One of the vital profitable advertising and marketing initiatives JCMS has not too long ago employed has been its “develop in public” method.
“We’ve discovered that sharing our journey brazenly feels genuine and builds stronger connections with our neighborhood,” Attis and Garcia state. “Whether or not somebody’s been with us because the starting or is simply now following alongside, we’re clear about each the highs and lows in actual time and that honesty has actually resonated with individuals.”
The duo is working to get JCMS’ three alcohol drinks onto its web site so shoppers in every single place can take pleasure in all three Shirley variations no matter distribution standing. Within the meantime, shoppers can discover JCMS non-alcohol Shirleys and merchandise on the JCMS website. Attis and Garcia encourage shoppers to hitch the Shirley-loving neighborhood on JCMS socials @drinkshirley on all platforms.
