Ben Soffer, the media influencer and entrepreneur also known as @BoyWithNoJob, founded Spritz Society on the idea that taste matters, with the motto, “Life is too short for drinks you don’t love.”
The canned beverage comes in a variety of flavors, takes recognizable ingredients, and packs them into convenient sparkling cocktails. They’re made with 100 percent real wine, real flavors, and real ingredients.
The spritzer was also founded alongside Soffer’s wife Claudia Oshry (@GirlWithNoJob) and her sister Jackie Oshry, both of the popular podcast “The Morning Toast.” Claudia will bring her “Not Like Other Girls” tour to Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on August 12 at 8 PM and the event is in partnership with Spritz Society.
We caught up with Ben to learn more.
Tell us a little about your background as an entrepreneur.
I started my career in marketing and advertising, eventually moving into the influencer marketing space — which really helped as I kicked off my career as an influencer myself! Knowing the ins and outs of the influencer world was also an asset in the creation of Spritz Society. I leaned into my following for first-hand consumer insight on what they were looking for in a beverage — everything from flavors, to alcohol percentage, to packaging, to branding, they were involved every step of the way. During the early stages of Spritz Society, I maintained my 9-to-5 and only quit once the brand was really ramping up. I’m so grateful to be in the position that I am as founder and CEO of Spritz Society and I owe a lot of it to our fans who have been there with us since the beginning!
Let’s talk more about Spritz Society. Where did the idea come from and how did it get started?
Every time I’d go out to a restaurant or even to a party at a friend’s, I would stray away from beer and other malt-based liquors. I didn’t love the taste and I didn’t love the way they made me feel. I would always feel sluggish and bloated after drinking them. My go-to would be a spritz cocktail, and I started doing fun reviews of the cocktails and rating them wherever I went, in New York City, where I live, and beyond. I noticed my followers were really interested in this type of content and I always saw super high engagement when I posted about spritzes. A majority of them were also huge spritz fans and wanted to know where I was ordering them, or they weren’t familiar with the drink, but intrigued. I had no idea there were so many other spritz fans out there and seeing a gap in the market for an accessible, convenient spritz cocktail ultimately led to the creation of Spritz Society.
Talk about community and how you created Spritz Society to bring people together.
The Spritz Society was originally a select group of my followers whom I consulted on what would become the bones of the brand. I personally DM’d thousands of them and polled them on flavors, packaging, brand messaging, and more. This level of involvement created a great sense of community pre-launch. Now, as the brand has grown massively, all of our fans are in the Spritz Society — we like to call them Spritzers! I like to think Spritz Society has made spritz cocktails less pretentious and easier to obtain. Everyone can be a Spritzer, and that sense of community is prevalent on our Instagram page, we love posting real people enjoying Spritz Society!
The beverage is made with real wine and real ingredients. How does this set you apart from other beverages?
One reason I’ve never been a fan of canned malt beverages is their mystery ingredients. I never knew exactly what I was drinking, and soon realized this was because many brands aren’t using high-quality ingredients. When creating Spritz Society, I knew ingredient transparency was important, being able to see and recognize each ingredient makes a difference — each can of Spritz Society contains seven or less ingredients, with real California wine being the first and foremost ingredient. We really do focus on taste and that’s why we’ve made a great tasting, quality product that you really enjoy drinking.
Do you have a favorite flavor?
I really love all of the flavors equally but I do want to call out our newest flavor, peach, as it’s only been available for the past few weeks. Since we launched in August 2021, our community has been very vocal about wanting a peach flavor and they were right. It’s a delicious combination of juicy sweetness and fruity flavor, and it’s the perfect summer drink.
You’ve partnered with BLADE. Can you tell us about this partnership?
Everyone knows there’s no better way to get to the Hamptons than via BLADE — it’s my personal favorite way to travel! Making the travel experience even better is the opportunity to enjoy a nice cold Spritz Society cocktail in both the lounge pre-flight and in-flight, it really kicks off any weekend getaway. Beyond the Hamptons, Spritz Society is available in BLADE’s six other lounges throughout the East Coast, and its pop up lounges. We’re so excited about this year-long partnership, we’ll also be collaborating with BLADE on events and members-only deals — keep your eyes peeled for more to come!
Where can we find Spritz Society on the East End?
Currently, Spritz Society is available for purchase at the Sag Harbor Liquor Store and available to enjoy at the Dune Deck Beach Club. We are looking forward to expanding in the area soon — so stay tuned via the store locator on the Spritz Society website. You can also get Spritz Society delivered to you through GoPuff, Drizly, and Instacart and directly on our site.
When you’re visiting the Hamptons, how do you like to spend your time? Any favorite spots to visit?
Because I’m born and raised in New York City, I’ve been going out East for the past two decades. It’s a relaxing reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city, and one of my favorite places to visit especially on a summer weekend. Some of my favorite spots include LUNCH, Gurney’s, Bostwick’s, The Surf Lodge, and more. And, of course, Sag Harbor Liquor Store and Dune Deck Beach Club, where you can now get Spritz Society!
