Prisma statistics: ready-to-drink cocktails, non-alcoholic wines and sugar-free soft drinks are becoming increasingly popular for Midsummer
Midsummer remains one of the most important holidays for people in Estonia, and Prisma’s sales data shows that Midsummer week is one of the strongest sales periods of the year, alongside the pre-Christmas period. While the main part of the Midsummer table still consists of familiar favourites such as grilled meat, fish and fresh vegetables, several changes can be seen in beverage choices.
According to Kaimo Niitaru, Prisma’s Assortment and Procurement Director, customers are increasingly looking for convenient, varied and more conscious choices.
“The Midsummer shopping basket has remained broadly stable over the years, but there are still some interesting changes. Consumers continue to want familiar Midsummer flavours, but alongside them they are increasingly choosing new beverages, non-alcoholic alternatives, sugar-free soft drinks and ready-to-drink cocktails that are easy to take along,” said Niitaru.
The Midsummer shopping basket is also strongly influenced by the weather every year. In warm and sunny weather, sales of water, sparkling water, soft drinks and lighter alcoholic beverages increase. In cooler and rainy weather, consumers tend to prefer stronger alcoholic drinks, while somewhat fewer ice creams and thirst-quenching drinks are purchased.
Soft drink consumption is growing
Among soft drinks, lemonades have been the most popular this year, with sales growth of 73 percent. Energy drinks have also grown by 28 percent, and vitamin-enriched drinks by 22 percent. At the same time, some more classic flavours, such as orange-flavoured lemonades and kali, have been in decline.
According to Niitaru, Prisma’s assortment clearly shows that customers expect more sugar-free, reduced-sugar or functional drinks. “In the soft drinks category, customers are no longer looking only for something sweet and fizzy. Increasingly, they look at whether a drink contains less sugar, offers some added value or fits better with a more active lifestyle. That is why we have increased the share of these products and added new brands and flavours to our selection,” he said.
Non-alcoholic alternatives are also showing growth. For example, in the first five months of 2026, sales of non-alcoholic wines increased by 11 percent.
Long drinks and ready-to-drink cocktails are on the rise
Among alcoholic beverages, beer and vodka remain the most preferred categories by sales volume during the Midsummer period. At the same time, the strongest sales growth is seen in long drinks, ready-to-drink cocktails, aperitifs and tequilas. Low-calorie hard seltzers, new long drink flavours and the popular Aperol Spritz as a ready-to-drink cocktail have also been added to the selection ahead of Midsummer.
“The growth in ready-to-drink cocktails shows that consumers want a convenient choice, but not necessarily a boring one. Social media has a very strong influence on the discovery of new flavours and products: people are aware of global trends and are ready to try them themselves,” said Niitaru.
“We are seeing above-average sales growth, as much as 37 percent, in the Prisma Paar selection, where pairing wine with food has been made easier for consumers. Wine is increasingly bought together with other groceries, and the choice is made based on the planned menu. In addition to larger boxed wines, sparkling wines are also purchased for Midsummer,” added Kaimo Niitaru.
Familiar choices still dominate the food basket
In the Midsummer food basket, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables continue to show strong growth. During Midsummer week, customers also buy more grilling cheese, halloumi, various flavoured grilling cheeses, feta and salad cheese cubes than usual. Sales of snack cheeses, such as cheese sticks, cubes and snacks, also increase, as they are easy to serve on the party table or take along when visiting someone.
“Grilling is an inseparable part of Midsummer, but meat is no longer the only thing that ends up on the grill. Customers are increasingly buying grilling cheeses, fish, vegetables and plant-based alternatives as well. It is also clear that customers plan the festive table as a whole — they think about the main dishes, snacks and which drinks will go well with them,” said Niitaru.
