Joshua Lewis and Kearra Johnson knew they’d face obstacles as they prepared to bring their new hard seltzer beverage to market.

Black creators were rare, perhaps nonexistent, in the seltzer industry, and theirs would be the first Black-owned line in Kansas City. In addition, the customers they were targeting — the Black community — weren’t big on drinking seltzers, a beverage perceived as something for suburban soccer moms to sip, Lewis says.

But a wealthy friend — former Chiefs linebacker Dezman Moses — believed in them, to the tune of a $3 million investment for their new brand, Kin Seltzer. According to Lewis, when Moses heard the pitch, he was instantly intrigued.

“He is a very authentic guy who believes in himself,” says Lewis. “I think he went with us because he saw himself in the product and believed in it too,” said Lewis.

Lewis had known Moses for several years through Lewis’ work in the KC nightlife scene. He knew Moses was business-minded, and he hoped the two could collaborate one day.

With a former Chiefs player as an investor, Kin joins the ranks of other alcoholic drinks backed by professional athletes, like Travis Kelce and Casa Azul Tequila Soda, Klay Thompson’s Diamond & Key Wine and Peyton Manning with Sweetens Cove Bourbon.

“When I started to research the market, I found that in the seltzer space, there was virtually an untouched Black demographic that wasn’t being targeted,” says Lewis. “We want this industry to be a more inclusive space for our community.”

Many hard seltzers’ marketing campaigns target women looking for a low-calorie alcoholic drink. Kin wanted to tap into the Black community’s ability to make something cool.

In 2021 Lewis created the UpDown Nightlife app, a digital space for highlighting KC events. Gaining numerous contacts in the club scene, Lewis crafted a drink for the urban culture, hoping to help people move away from hard liquor. Kin Seltzer’s alcohol content is just 4%.

“The name Kin came from growing up in the South and us calling our family, friends or loved ones our kinfolk,” says Lewis, a Dallas native. “We wanted to make a drink people could enjoy with one another without getting super drunk and overbearing.”

Johnson, a Kansas City native, had helped design Lewis’ app, and he wanted to bring her on as a co-founder to handle the marketing and aesthetics of the new drink. While many alcoholic seltzer brands use bright color schemes, the Kin founders chose a sleek black can with champagne-colored lettering, letting the taste speak for itself.

Johnson, who has helped many Black creatives get their vision off the ground with her graphic designs, had never been so deeply invested in a project. Through long hours of research and development, the team crafted a seltzer that captured the spirit of the urban core they felt was missing in the market.

“We wanted Kin to have this different vibe,” says Johnson. “Everything from the packaging to the events we throw adds to the voice that the brand has. I think it does the job of helping us tap into the culture.”

Kin began to throw events to introduce the beverage to the Black community, the people they needed to win over the most.

“The thing I heard the most at those launch parties was how people either didn’t like seltzers before and like them now or how they never had them and they have found their new favorite drink,” Lewis says.

The team partnered with Eric Martens, owner of Kansas City’s Border Brewing Co., who oversees the brewing and wants to keep all aspects of production local. Together, the trio have created a drink they hope will become a staple of the KC nightlight scene.

While researching, Lewis heard the same criticisms of hard seltzers from different people who said they didn’t like the bitter taste. So the Kin team created a sweeter option, using only natural fruit juices and no artificial additives.

Starting with its flagship flavor, Pineapple and Peach/Lemon and Lime, Lewis says the company plans to release its second flavor, Strawberry Lemonade, in mid-January.

The team plans to have six flavors within the next four years.

“I wanted to add some culture into the seltzer world,” says Lewis, 32. “When I think of other brands in the market it just seems bland and I want to introduce some new flavor into the industry, both literally and figuratively.”

With the influx of capital, Lewis and Johnson plan to scale up production from the current 5,000 cans every two weeks. With cans available at about 25 metro locations, including The Black Pantry, Aura, RecordBar and some Made In KC stores, Kin Seltzer hopes to place its product in more places.

Kin Seltzer joins another local seltzer brand, Quirk by Boulevard Brewing Co. Brew Lab and 3Halves Brewing Co. have had hard seltzers that they discontinued.

“No drink is meant to be exclusive,” says Johnson. “We don’t want to be looked at as the seltzer for Black people. We want to be known as the seltzer by Black people, for everyone.”