Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Company

After more than two decades as a fixture on the American event circuit,&nbsp;<a href="https://drinkwildbills.com/pages/franchise-opportunity?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-bills-craft-beverage-2025-wrap-2026-franchise-growth-2731149" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co.</a> is more than just a beloved soda brand. In 2025, the veteran-founded company also strengthened its franchise model by shifting more control to franchisees, laying a strong foundation for a franchise-focused push in 2026.&nbsp;“This was a big transition year for us” said Chief Growth Officer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mruddo/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-bills-craft-beverage-2025-wrap-2026-franchise-growth-2731149" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Michael Russo</a>.&nbsp; “This was when we shifted our focus to franchising in a meaningful way.”Having built a strong brand at events, fairs, festivals and more, the shift marks a deliberate evolution for the heritage soda brand. While events remain a core element of its brand,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills/info">Wild Bill’s</a> spent 2025 restructuring how the event-based activations can drive further franchise growth.“Events have been our core since 2002, for 23 years, and they always will be. And as a system, we’ll have done about 500 events this year,” Russo said. “But the brand has evolved beyond events. The big focus next year is selling more franchises while staying authentic to who we are: veteran-owned and operated, doing this for veterans and turning them into business owners.”<h2>Building a Veteran-First Franchise Engine</h2>Wild Bill’s has famously focused on a veteran-first approach to its business, a model that remains at the heart of the current franchising efforts. This year, the company converted veteran employees into franchise owners and added additional new operators through its military network, including an Air Force veteran in Las Vegas and a pair of Army veterans in Phoenix.That momentum will be even more visible moving forward. One franchise is slated to open in Utah under a West Point graduate and another will be launched by a Marine Corps veteran in the San Diego area in early 2026.The company is also expanding franchisee support, a key selling point for many veterans transitioning into franchise ownership. In an effort to better aid growth while supporting franchise owners, Wild Bill’s has invested heavily in operational infrastructure, including promoting Army veteran&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisnorvold/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-bills-craft-beverage-2025-wrap-2026-franchise-growth-2731149" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Chris Norvold</a> to vice president of operations.“One of the biggest wins this year was converting veteran employees into franchisees. We’ve also built a pipeline,” said CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-quilty-4b973b4/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-bills-craft-beverage-2025-wrap-2026-franchise-growth-2731149" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Michael Quilty</a>.&nbsp;“Veteran entrepreneurship is part of our foundation. But we also include first responders and people who share our values. Not all franchisees are veterans. Cultural fit and shared values matter most.”<h2>Expansion Efforts</h2>This year, Wild Bill’s returned to the New York Comic Con and made its company debut at The Oceana Air Show. But 2025 saw retail growth as well, with the brand adding new retail locations.“We added about 15 to 20 new retail trading partners, including direct retailers and distributors. 1,500 new locations,” Russo said. “We have canned soda available nationally&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/79706560-FFE0-4A84-B9FF-50A385F28213/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-bills-craft-beverage-2025-wrap-2026-franchise-growth-2731149" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">online through Amazon</a> and we’re in about 4,000 retail stores across the country.“Product innovation also played a key role in that evolution, with Wild Bill’s introducing a zero-sugar line featuring root beer, key lime, pineapple and blueberry flavors. The lineup is intended to address changing consumer trends without sacrificing authenticity.<h2>Investing in Infrastructure</h2>Behind the scenes, Wild Bill’s invested significantly in marketing, training and infrastructure, consolidating both its headquarters and warehouse at a larger facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The marketing efforts resulted in a substantial growth of presence on social media.“We invested heavily in marketing this year,” Russo said. “Our Instagram following grew from under 20,000 to over 35,000.”<h2>A Disciplined Roadmap in 2026</h2>Wild Bill’s is eyeing an exciting 2026, one focused on disciplined franchise expansion by carefully vetting potential franchise owners to ensure proper alignment. With plans to add another 10 franchise locations, Wild Bill’s will support potential franchise owners through the rollout of new equipment, new product offerings, updated marketing materials, and enhanced backend support, including IT and accounting services, prioritizing markets like San Jose, Portland, Denver, Louisville, West Virginia and the Carolinas.“Starting a business is hard,” Quilty said. “We’re building infrastructure to provide strong support, especially on the financial side. We’re focused on finding the right people in the right markets at the right time, not just signing a lot of franchisees.”That growth philosophy reflects Wild Bill’s broader mission to create opportunity through service, camaraderie and shared values, especially within the veteran community. As the brand moves with momentum into 2026, Wild Bill’s stands at the intersection of tradition and transformation as a heritage-driven Americana brand building a modern franchise system rooted in purpose, discipline, nostalgia and long-term vision.“Our four core values are commitment, integrity, growth and service,” Russo said. “We’re committed to our franchisees, focused on their growth as business owners and individuals and dedicated to serving our communities.”To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills">https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills</a>.About Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Co.Wild Bill's has been crafting premium, non-alcoholic craft sodas for over 20 years, serving customers at events nationwide. With a focus on creating nostalgia-evoking flavors, Wild Bill's sodas are available online, at local retailers, and at hundreds of events annually.As a veteran-owned and operated business, Wild Bill's is dedicated to supporting veterans through meaningful employment opportunities and partnerships with veteran-focused non-profits.

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Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. Wraps Transformational 2025, Eyes Franchise Growth in 2026

1851 Franchise

As the handcrafted soda brand expands its retail footprint and nationwide presence, it enters 2026 with stronger distribution, new partnerships and a solid foundation for further growth.

Wild Bill’s Caps a Transformational 2025 With Market Expansion, Product Innovation and Franchise Momentum

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For many food and beverage franchises, fairs, festivals, conventions, and sporting events compete for consumers' time and discretionary spending. For Wild Bill's, those events are the marketplace.&nbsp;The brand was built around mobility and event-based selling long before pop-up retail and experiential marketing became common industry buzzwords. Rather than investing heavily in storefront real estate and relying on customers to come to them, franchisees take the business directly to high-traffic events where people are already gathering, spending money and looking for entertainment.That difference changes how franchisees grow. Rather than depending on more storefronts,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills/info">Wild Bill’s</a> operators can build revenue by booking more events, entering new venues or adding setups when weekends are especially busy.<h2>Spring Creates the Momentum for the Entire Year</h2>The calendar starts coming together in winter, then picks up once spring events return. For many franchisees, that early activity sets the tone for the year.“Spring is when our event season really kicks off,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mruddo/">Michael Russo</a>, chief growth officer of <a href="https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills/info">Wild Bill’s</a>. “In many of our seasonal markets, April marks the beginning of the busy event season as outdoor festivals and fairs return. April through October remains the core of the business nationwide, but we've also built a strong lineup of indoor conventions, expos, and sporting events that keep many of our operators active throughout the winter months”.That momentum builds quickly once outdoor events return in force. Anime conventions, food festivals, equestrian events, county fairs, air shows, and tattoo conventions all become part of the operating calendar. Across the system, that can mean events like Anime Expo in Los Angeles, Picklesburgh in Pittsburgh, the Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, the Middlesex County Fair in New Jersey, the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and the Villain Arts Tattoo Convention in Chicago. Franchisees often spend consecutive weekends on the road, moving from one event to another as attendance levels increase heading into summer.The repeat nature of many events helps franchisees build consistency over time. Returning to the same festivals year after year strengthens relationships with organizers and creates a loyal customer base.&nbsp;“One of the things we love about this business is seeing customers come back year after year,” Russo said. “At the Oyster Bay Festival on Long Island, I met a customer who was still using the mug she bought in 2007. She told me she'd been attending the festival since she was seven years old and still brings that same mug nearly two decades later.”&nbsp;That type of long-term visibility is difficult for many traditional operators to replicate. At events, Wild Bill’s is not simply competing for a single transaction. The brand becomes part of the experience people associate with attending the fair, festival or convention itself.<h2>Built Around Consumer Traffic</h2>The model's mobility changes how franchisees think about customer acquisition and operating costs. Because revenue is tied to the event calendar, operators can keep more of their expenses aligned with weekends, when the stand is actually in use.“There is lower permanent overhead,” Russo said. “Traditional operators usually have year-round utilities, property maintenance and all of that. We’re a temporary setup. Labor is usually part-time, event-based and seasonal in some cases.”That flexibility allows franchisees to focus resources on revenue-generating weekends rather than on fixed operating expenses. It also creates opportunities to pursue a wider variety of events throughout the year.Beyond fairs and festivals, franchisees are also booked for corporate and special events, providing a fun and unique beverage experience. Because many of these bookings take place during the week, they help fill the calendar between traditional weekend events while expanding the brand's reach throughout the year.&nbsp;“We've also been booking a growing number of corporate and private events, including employee appreciation days, customer appreciation events, business grand openings, and promotional events for local businesses,“ Russo said.Whether it's 100,000-plus attendees at a major comic convention, thousands of families at a regional festival, or athletes and parents at a weekend volleyball tournament, franchisees are operating in environments where customer traffic is already built in. That gives franchisees a different starting point than a storefront waiting for traffic to come in.“You’re at these events, and it’s a buying environment,” Russo said. “It’s like the Disneyland effect or a vacation mindset. People are there to be entertained and spend money. You’re at an event where the crowd has the intent to purchase.”<h2>Scaling Through Events Instead of Storefronts</h2>That range can be useful for new owners. A franchisee can start with a manageable event calendar, learn the rhythm of the business and decide how much more they want to take on from there.“We have event operators who have one wagon, do 20 or 30 events a year and treat it as a lifestyle business or side hustle,” Russo said. “Then we have more serious operators who turn it into a business, do three or four events a weekend and have multiple stands. You really scale the business by doing more events.”Franchisees can grow at their own pace, too. Rather than taking on another storefront right away, operators can add more events, test new areas and build a bigger calendar over time.The company supports that process heavily through operational training and event-booking guidance. Franchisees receive equipment training, live-event preparation and support identifying worthwhile opportunities in their local markets.“We’ve been doing events for 24 years, longer than we’ve been franchising,” Russo said. “We like to think we know what a good and bad event is, so we help franchisees evaluate and book events.”New franchisees also receive hands-on operational support before launching into the field.“We bring most of our new franchisees to our warehouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania,” Russo said. “They stay there for two or three days and learn all the equipment. We run a mock event and break something on purpose, so they have to fix it.”<h2>Timing Matters for Franchisees Entering the System</h2>Because event applications are often submitted months in advance, timing can play a major role in how quickly a new franchisee gains traction.Operators entering the system ahead of spring have a greater opportunity to build a full event calendar before the busiest season begins. That early momentum can help franchisees maximize exposure, bookings and repeat business during their first full year.“Because many event applications are submitted months in advance, timing matters,” Russo said. “Franchisees who join the system in the winter have the best opportunity to build out a full event calendar before the busy season begins. Ideally, we'd like operators up and running by January so they can take advantage of spring booking opportunities and maximize their first full year in the business.”For Wild Bill’s franchisees, event season is not simply a temporary spike in activity. It is the engine that drives customer acquisition, visibility and long-term growth. As spring crowds begin returning to festivals and venues nationwide, franchisees are positioning themselves where demand already exists and building businesses designed to move with it.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills">https://1851franchise.com/wild-bills</a>.

Wild Bill's Franchise Uses Event Season to Drive Growth - 1851 Franchise

With a mobile model built around fairs, festivals and high-traffic events, Wild Bill’s franchisees can grow by booking more weekends, not opening more storefronts.

The Event-Driven Franchise Model Behind Wild Bill's Growth 

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Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Co. Franchise - Opportunity for Veterans - 1851 Franchise

U.S. Veterans Magazine: Mike Quilty Is Turning Military Leadership Into Opportunity for Veterans

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How Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. Built a 23-Year Brand That Empowers Veterans Through Franchising

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Wild Bill’s Caps a Transformational 2025 With Market Expansion, Product Innovation and Franchise Momentum

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