NAME: Wang Gang Beverages

PRODUCT: Gourmet sodas

FLAVORS: Black Chery Bomb, 8 Ball Ornge, “Nearly Famous” Root Beer; coming soon: Unkle Munkey's Coconut Cola, Unkle Munkey's Mint Nojito

WHERE TO FIND IT: Grocery stores, bars, liquor stores and other venues on the Gulf Coast

MORE INFO: Find Wang Gang Beverages – Gulf Coast on Facebook

When Edward Delmore III started a small soda company in St. Louis, Mo. with two others in October 2012, he didn't expect to take the product all the way to south Alabama in less than a year. But Wang Gang Beverages' sales skyrocketed immediately — from $2,000 in retail sales to more than $40,000 in less than a year — and Delmore and his partners decided the beach would be a perfect market for the high-end sodas.

“We thought it would be good to come down here, because tourists would come here from all over the place, buy the product and then ask, 'Where can I get this stuff?'” Delmore says. He hopes getting the word out about the product all over the country will facilitate expansion to nationwide markets.

Plus, Delmore is now much closer to his father, Gulf Shores Police Chief Edward Delmore.

Delmore, who sold cars before selling sodas, says the soda market is dominated by a few large companies, but there is room for niche sodas like Wang Gang's products.

“The average person drinks three sodas per day,” Delmore says. “It's a $75 billion business, and I just want a little bit of it. Coca-Cola is old news. We're new, and we're local. Everybody's had a million Cokes, and they want to try something different.”

And businesses and their customers in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have embraced the product. In addition to being placed in grocery stores around the area, the sodas are also available at bars, restaurants and even liquor stores — Wang Gang heavily markets its sodas as alcohol mixers.

“We put Ed's product in our liquor store, and our customers seem to really love it because it's different,” says John McInnis, owner of the Flora-Bama and the Flora-Bama Lounge and Package liquor store. “We're starting to sell a lot of it, and we're looking for ways to incorporate it across the street in the main Flora-Bama building, too.”

The sodas are also invading the Wharf — currently, they're available at the Sugar Shack, Cigar Bar and Island Time Daquiries.

“They're great beverages,” says Jim Bibby, director of security and operations at the Wharf. “It's just a good, quality drink, and tenants are excited about it and are doing well with it, as far as I know.”

Delmore hopes to eventually hire a sales team to assist him in the Gulf Coast region.

“I'm not just concerned about making money,” he says. “I want to be able to create jobs and create business for the people down here, too.”

Wang Gang's most popular mixed drinks

Black CHERY recipes

Chocolate Covered Chery Bomb

• 1 shot Godiva liqueur

• 1 shot vodka

• Black CHERY Bomb soda

Serve chilled with a cherry.

Chery Bomb Sour

• 1 shot lemon juice

• 1 shot whiskey

• Top off with Black CHERY Bomb soda

Serve in a highball glass

8 Ball ORNGE recipes 

8 Ball ORNGE Dreamsicle

• 1 shot vanilla or whipped vodka

• Top off with 8 Ball ORNGE soda

Serve as a shot or drink.

Rack 'Em

• ½ ounce amaretto

• 1½ ounces peach schnapps

• 1½ ounce vodka

• 1 ounce cranberry juice

• 1 ounce pineapple juice

• 1 ounce 8 Ball ORNGE soda

Nearly Famous Root Beer recipes

Bayou Bomb

• Nearly Famous Root Beer

• Jagermeister

Nearly Famous Root Beer Float

• 1 shot vanilla vodka

• Top off with Nearly Famous Root Beer

Serve in a highball glass

 What makes it different?

• No caffeine

• Pure cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup

• All-natural ingredients

• Gluten-free