NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – From beers to pistachios: New Mexico’s universities have tapped into stamping their brand on all sorts of stuff. The state’s biggest schools each have their own products and keep making more, but the question is, how lucrative are they? The products aren’t raking in millions, but university leaders said it’s “important” revenue for them and other players.
“It’s a win-win across the board for everybody when you do this,” ENMU Marketing and Communications Assistant Vice President John Houser.
New Mexico’s three largest universities know how to sell. UNM, NMSU, and ENMU each have branded products with logos, but it’s not just jerseys. It’s also wine, salsas, and even coffee. Last week, New Mexico State revealed “the Aggie-Rita,” which is a canned raspberry margarita.
Across all the schools, funds from the products help support student-athletes. On top of that, the product sales also help the businesses that make them, something Eastern New Mexico said is core to their brand deals.
“By lending our brand, it gives them access to our 16,000 alumni in this state and our alumni base, which is thousands and thousands of people around the country,” explained Houser.
Those branded products can be lucrative. Both ENMU and NMSU get 12% of wholesale price for each consumable product sold.
“Unlike a shirt or a hat that you’ll keep for many years, the consumables are something that once you’ve drank or eaten it, you’re going to go back, and that’s how you know you make your money,” said NMSU Athletics Director Mario Moccia.
NMSU’s most popular item is Pistol Pete’s 1888 beer, which has brought in about $125,000 since 2018.
“When they see it, they go, ‘Wow, this is cool. I got to get some of this product, so that my daughters, or whoever went to Eastern, can try it,’ and that’s the response we’re really getting from a lot of people,” said Houser.
NMSU stated they’re already working on three new products slated to come out by the end of the year. UNM is also working on releasing their own branded Lobo candles, which should be for sale next month.
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