Shaken, Stirred, & Scaling Up!
Charleston has never had trouble making a drink feel like an occasion. Now one of its homegrown beverage brands is turning that craft-bar sensibility into a bigger manufacturing story.
Bittermilk Bottling Co., the family-owned maker of non-alcoholic cocktail mixers and syrups, is expanding in Charleston County with an $8.2 million investment that will bring a new production facility and 12 jobs to Ravenel.
Founded in 2013 by Joe and MariElena Raya, Bittermilk has built its name around all-natural cocktail mixers made in North Charleston. The company’s products are designed for people who like a proper drink but don’t necessarily want to muddle, zest, steep, squeeze, and dirty every utensil in the kitchen before guests arrive. Its lineup has found a national audience as the zero-proof and elevated at-home cocktail movements have shifted from niche to normal.
A Bigger Pour for Ravenel
The expansion will move Bittermilk into a 12,000-square-foot facility at 5340 Savannah Highway in Ravenel. That extra space matters. For a specialty food-and-beverage company, production capacity can be the difference between being a beloved local brand and becoming a serious player on shelves and behind bars well beyond the Lowcountry.
State officials announced the project in May, noting that operations are expected to come online in summer 2026. For Ravenel, the investment adds manufacturing activity along a major Charleston County corridor. For Bittermilk, it keeps growth close to the community where the company began.
Why This Matters Beyond the Bottle
South Carolina’s food-and-beverage manufacturing sector has been quietly stacking wins, especially as consumers look for more polished non-alcoholic options, small-batch flavors, and products with a stronger sense of place. Bittermilk fits neatly into that lane. It’s local, family-run, and built around a product category with room to grow.
The move also says something useful about the Lowcountry economy. Tourism may get the glossy postcards, but companies like Bittermilk show how hospitality culture can affect manufacturing, distribution, branding, and jobs. A cocktail mixer made in Charleston can start as a bar idea and become a statewide business story.
With its Ravenel expansion, Bittermilk isn’t leaving its roots behind…it’s just giving them more square footage!
To learn more about the South Carolina businesses making, packaging, and growing local products, visit https://guidetosouthcarolina.com/food-manufacturers.
