Exclusive: Southern Living launches its own sweet tea brand
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Photo: Robbie Caponetto/Southern Living
Southern Living, a lifestyle magazine published by People Inc., is launching its own sweet tea brand called "Sweet Talk," representing the publisher's first owned and produced consumer packaged good company.
Why it matters: People Inc., one of the largest content publishers in America, is leaning into new revenue lines across commerce, events and licensing across its portfolio to help offset AI-driven changes to open web traffic.
Zoom in: The launch of "Sweet Talk" is a milestone for Southern Living as the first product the brand owns and develops itself.
- "This is not a licensing deal. This is our product. We have developed the recipe," Southern Living editor-in-chief Sid Evans told Axios.
- Evans said the tea is less sugary than alternative products, comprising of a half-sweetened and half-unsweetened blend. It was created using ingredients from the South, and will be packaged and distributed there, he said.
- People Inc. hired beverage industry veteran Jeana Harrington to lead the product effort.
Between the lines: The brand will debut the new tea this weekend at People Inc.'s Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, South Carolina.
- A retail rollout across stores in Alabama and Florida will begin next spring, followed by a broader rollout in the region. Southern Living plans to make the tea available for purchase nationwide as well.
- The tea brand will help Southern Living reach younger audiences in new ways, while reinforcing the magazine's expertise in Southern food and culture.
- "There are not many brands out there, if any, that could authentically launch a sweet tea," Evans told Axios.
Zoom out: People Inc. has been experimenting with commerce tied to its brands for years.
- In 2019, the company launched an interior paint line for its home decor website, The Spruce, in partnership with Behr parent MASCO for Amazon.
- The following year The Spruce lunched its own organization product line with Lowe's.
- The company launched its first-ever standalone online store pegged to its site Liquor.com in 2021.
Context: In addition to commerce, People Inc. has invested more in other revenue streams outside of advertising, such as subscriptions and events.
- The company has launched new paid subscription programs, such as MyRecipes+ and People VIP.
- It acquired Austin-based food festival Hot Luck in June.
Flashback: People Inc. was formed when Dotdash, a digital publishing company, was combined with Meredith's national publishing brands through an acquisition by People Inc.'s then-parent company IAC in 2021.
- It rebranded to People Inc. in 2025 to reflect the investment it was making in one of its most popular consumer titles, People, but also to remind audiences and investors of how much its business is rooted in human ingenuity and connection.
- The company, led by longtime CEO Neil Vogel, has grown its digital revenue consecutively for the past 12 quarters. Its business transformation has been so profound that People Inc. quickly became the fastest-growing asset within IAC's portfolio.
- IAC earlier this year rebranded to People Incorporated. Vogel now leads that company as CEO.
The big picture: People Inc.'s efforts to expand its revenue streams beyond advertising and subscriptions have helped it offset AI-driven declines to traditional search.
- Although its core web traffic fell 26% last quarter, digital revenue still grew 2% year over year thanks to a 15% increase in licensing and other revenue.
