Lidl Ireland is preparing to add three home-grown drink brands to shelves nationwide as part of its 2026 Kickstart programme, with products from Zingibeer, iStil38 and Yankee Clipper Irish Coffee Liqueur due to go on sale from 10 September. The launch will give the independent makers a wider retail platform beyond the specialist outlets and hospitality venues where they have already built their reputations.

Zingibeer, created by Kevin and Rachel Byrne, is an alcoholic ginger beer bottled at 4% ABV and was developed after they identified demand for an Irish-made alternative to beer and cider. iStil38, founded in 2022, makes Pink Berry Vodka using strawberries, raspberries, loganberries and lime; the brand is already served in about 450 Irish bars and stocked in hundreds of independent off-licences. Yankee Clipper Irish Coffee Liqueur, produced by Limerick Spirits Co. in West Cork, taps into the overlap between coffee culture, cocktail trends and premium liqueurs.

The three drinks are part of a wider Kickstart class of 50 products from more than 22 Irish suppliers, according to Checkout’s reporting on Lidl’s latest programme. The retailer said the full range will be available in all of its stores across the island of Ireland for a two-week promotional window while stocks last. Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland currently operates 236 stores, according to the company, after recent changes to its network.

Now in its tenth year, Kickstart has become one of Lidl’s most established supplier-development schemes. The retailer says it has invested more than €42 million in the initiative, supporting over 300 local suppliers and helping bring hundreds of Irish products to market. Lidl has also pointed to a long list of former participants that went on to secure permanent listings, underscoring the programme’s role as both a launchpad for small producers and a route into mainstream grocery retail.

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