The Home of the Original Dirty Soda announced a significant milestone in the company’s growth with the successful signing of 250 franchise units across seven new markets: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Idaho — with the first Arkansas, Idaho and Missouri stores opening later this year. This achievement marks the halfway point toward Swig’s ambitious goal of committing 500 franchise units by the end of the year.
It’s an incredible accomplishment for the fast-growing brand, especially considering it only launched multi-unit franchising six months ago.
“The swift expansion of Swig’s franchise network underlines the strong market demand for our category and the effectiveness of our franchise model,” says Rian McCartan, CEO of Swig. “This achievement validates Swig as a strong national brand and a reliable franchise partner. This milestone is a testament to the strength of our brand, the hard work of our team, and the confidence our franchise partners have in us. Our growth is accelerating, and we are well on our way to reaching our goal of 500 franchise units.”
The 250 units are comprised of 12 franchise partners. That smaller quantity of partners will ensure enhanced collaboration and communication — and help maintain the quality of experience and culture the Swig customer is accustomed to.
“We have hand-selected the best franchise partners who share our vision and will help launch our national expansion. We are excited for more customers and team members across the country to have the opportunity to experience Swig and its offerings,” said David Smith, a managing partner at the Larry H. Miller Company, which purchased a majority interest in Swig in 2022. “The executive team at Swig has developed the operational expertise and built a strong brand that is poised for the next level of growth, and we are confident in their ability to execute the plan.”
Looking ahead, Swig remains committed to its strategy of balanced growth through a combination of corporate-owned stores and franchised units. The company projects that by the end of the year, it will reach its target of 500 committed franchise units and 70 corporate-owned locations — securing its place as the national leader in custom soda.
“Swig has always been in a position to franchise, but we felt early on that building a solid team, infrastructure, and having the necessary proof that this brand worked in multiple geographies was ours to prove,” says Andrew K. Smith, managing partner of Savory Fund, shareholder and board member of Swig. “We are now there, as Swig has performed better than any of us would have anticipated in new markets. Swig is the original dirty soda pioneer, and it is their time to re-create this segment as the undisputed leader.”
