Brazilian liqueur brand Don Luiz reached 8.79% retail market share in 2025 by embedding its dulce de leche cocktail into parties, barbecues, and celebrations.
Don Luiz, the Brazilian dulce de leche alcoholic cocktail brand, closed 2025 with a significant leap in the liqueur market. Its share in the indirect channel grew from 6.9% to 7.9%, while retail share — covering self-service stores and wholesale — reached 8.79%. That places Don Luiz among the fastest-growing brands in the category for the year.
The indirect channel accounts for roughly 70% of Brazil’s total liqueur market, making this gain a structural signal rather than a seasonal spike.
Growing through occasions, not just volume
Don Luiz’s growth strategy diverges from the traditional per-capita volume model. Instead, the brand focused on expanding consumption occasions — positioning itself within social rituals like toasts, gatherings, and celebrations.
“Our growth did not come from increasing consumption intensity, but from expanding the contexts and touchpoints with consumers. We worked to embed the brand recurrently in social rituals — parties, barbecues, get-togethers with friends.”
Founded in 2018, Don Luiz is now present in more than 8,000 points of sale across Brazil, including supermarkets, wholesale distributors, specialty stores, and gourmet shops.
New Year’s Eve and Carnival as brand platforms
Brazil’s biggest popular festivals became strategic proving grounds. During New Year’s Eve 2025/2026, Don Luiz was present at more than 12 events across four states — Alagoas, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Catarina — reaching around 65,000 people and recording over 107,000 shots consumed.
For Carnival 2026, the brand concentrated efforts in Rio de Janeiro, activating at least 10 events with branded bars and photo points. The campaign reached more than 50,000 people and around 65,000 shots consumed.
E-commerce and distribution as growth pillars
Alongside live activations, Don Luiz ran progressive promotional campaigns on its e-commerce channels, blending digital and physical touchpoints to drive trial and repeat purchase.
In 2025, the brand’s official store on Mercado Livre — Latin America’s leading marketplace — earned Mercado Líder Platinum status, the result of more than 5,000 sales and a logistics operation built for multi-channel fulfillment.
“We operate with a logic centered on presence, trial, and consumption recurrence. Market share gains are the sum of those factors,” adds Rafael Medeiros.
The Don Luiz case reflects a broader shift in the beverage industry: brands that combine brand strategy, retail presence, and behavioral insight tend to capture market share faster than those relying on distribution alone.
Event Info
- Brand: Don Luiz
- Product: Dulce de leche alcoholic cocktail
- Points of sale: Over 8,000 across Brazil (supermarkets, wholesalers, specialty and gourmet stores)
- Website: https://www.donluiz.com.br
- Mercado Livre store: Mercado Líder Platinum status in 2025
