There’s been a lot of buzz in the New Jersey scene about a popular beverage brand that’s been dominating the party scene in recent years. The brand is none other than Jungle Juice, and we had the opportunity to sit down with The Jungle Juice King himself, Owner and CEO of Jerzey Jungle Juice Tim Gillen, to discuss his popular New Jersey beverage.
What gave you the idea to start your own alcoholic beverage company?
My entire life, since the age of 18, I have been in the bar and nightlife business. I know the business like the back of my hand. I wanted full creative control to build something from scratch and set myself apart in a business I knew and loved, but this time working for myself.
When starting your brand, why did you choose Jungle Juice in particular?
Jungle Juice is one of the most popular “college drinks” of all time. Mostly everyone knows the name and what it is. I used to make it back in college myself, and people would go nuts for it at parties and events. Over ten years later, I decided to put all my bar, nightlife skills and business management major to use and create an alcoholic beverage company. We bottled up that famous recipe, and Jerzey Jungle Juice was born. We advertise it as “The Best Jungle Juice comes from Jerzey.”
When did your brand officially launch? How have things been going since then?
We launched in late February 2021. We are doing exceptionally well, to say the least. We are in about 75 locations to date and are looking for the right distribution partner to take the foundation I have built over the last few months and take us to 500+ locations, hopefully very soon. In simple terms, we cannot keep the stuff on the shelf. It is just a good ready-to-drink cocktail. Pour it on ice and get ready for that college nostalgia to kick in and prepare for the best night of your life.
Right now, we are currently only in the state of New Jersey but hoping to change that soon and get Jerzey Jungle Juice nationwide.
What is Jerzey Jungle Juice exactly?
The drink itself is a very delicious alcoholic fruit punch. Made with grain alcohol and a lot of natural fruit flavors, Jerzey Jungle Juice is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to ready-to-drink cocktails.
At 10% ABV and gluten-free, it is the perfect amount of alcohol to taste ratio. Over double the strength of a hard seltzer or standard beer, you can barely taste the alcohol which can be delicious yet dangerous.
I heard you guys were up for a big time award recently?
Yes, you heard that correctly. We just placed silver in the Proof Awards out in Las Vegas for ready-to-drink cocktails. For being in business not even a year, I will take a second place medal all day. I knew my drink was great, but it is super amazing to know others feel the same about our unique and delicious beverage. I am super stoked for Jerzey Jungle Juice to be known as an award-winning cocktail.
Any big plans for the future?
Oh yes! New Jungle Juice flavors are in the works, and we are rapidly expanding. We want to saturate this state with Jerzey Jungle Juice. When people think of New Jersey, I want them to think of Jungle Juice the way you think of Whiskey in Tennessee and Bourbon in Kentucky. I see this as a nationwide brand, and I look forward to leading the charge taking Jerzey Jungle Juice to the next level of where it belongs. It is a really good drink, and I want to get it in the hands of everyone who wants it.Learn more about the amazing product by visiting the Jerzey Jungle website.
