It started with four friends from middle school who went their separate ways for high school and college, but reunited each summer on the shores of Cape Cod. With that as inspiration, they hatched the idea of creating the perfect drink for celebrating good times with good friends.  With private funding, a whole lot of intuition and perseverance, and branding and packaging work from New York-based marketing services agency Method1, the four life-long friends launched Cape Tide Hard Tea over Memorial Day weekend on Cape Cod.

“As of right now, we’re in over 90 accounts on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and the South and North Shores of Massachusetts,” Great Neck Beverages Director of Marketing Peter Nelson said. “Our goal is to be in at least 125 accounts by the end of summer and so far approximately 60% of accounts have already placed additional orders of product.  It’s still early days, but so far consumer reaction has been very positive.”

The founders, in addition to Nelson, are Director of Sales Ollie Cheever, Director of Finance Harrison Hill and Director of Operations Ben Carbeau have been friends since eighth grade. They started Great Neck Beverages in May 2022.

“The original plan was to brew craft beers, but the initial batches were not up to snuff,” said Nelson. They then pivoted to hard iced tea. Satisfied with the product, the team collaborated with Method1, a marketing services company based in New York, which developed the brand vision, developed packaging and labeling, as well as building  the Cape Tide website..

Cape Tide is promoting the brand via tasting events at off-premise locations and are planning promotional events/tastings at on-premise locations for the remainder of the summer. Method1 is facilitating social media campaigns and SEO programs for the brand.

Like so many who “summer” on the Cape, the founders are headed back to work and school. In their case, senior year in college and growing Cape Tide.

Nelson said the plan for the fall is to expand distribution in mainland Massachusetts, continuing to increase awareness and begin the formulation of the next set of flavors.  Cape Tide is currently available in Lemon, Peach and Raspberry.

“Cape Tide is a great example of when a group of young entrepreneurs set their minds to do something, anything can happen,” said David Muldoon, Creative Director of Method1 who led the brand identity development. “This brand didn’t even exist in January of this year and in just five short months they launched their product and are already making an impact in the marketplace.” 

Method1 is a multi-disciplinary agency that specializes in marketing “indulgence brands,” which are defined as CPG consumable products that bring a little happiness to people’s day. It applies the science of behavior change with media, creativity and technology to build brands and create digital-first marketing ecosystems that elevate consumer preference. The agency is headquartered in New York with a global workforce of 65 people distributed across 14 countries. Clients include Heaven Hill Distillery’s Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and Larceny bourbons, Lunazul Tequila and Blackheart Rum, ShadyRays sunglasses and Wellow compression socks.