Startup CPG Newswire:
Dude Wow Cocktails Earns Walmart “Golden Ticket” at Open Call 2026
PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Brandon Igdalsky for Dude Wow Cocktails
WINTER GARDEN, FL (OCTOBER 2026) — DUDE WOW Cocktails, the Winter Garden-based maker of premium, small-batch Bloody Mary mixes, today announced it has been awarded a coveted Golden Ticket at Walmart’s 2026 Open Call. The award gives DUDE WOW the opportunity to work directly with Walmart’s merchant team to bring its products to Walmart customers in stores and online.
DUDE WOW was one of roughly 125 companies from 35 states and Puerto Rico invited to pitch at Walmart’s home office campus in Bentonville, Ark., on October 7. The selection follows months of regional screening, with thousands of entrepreneurs applying for a seat at the table.
Open Call supports Walmart’s commitment to buy $350 billion in U.S.-made, grown or assembled products by 2030, an effort the company estimates supports roughly 750,000 American jobs. At this year’s event, Walmart U.S. CEO David Guggina urged founders to show buyers what customer problem their product solves and what sets it apart.
From a Pandemic Kitchen to Walmart’s Home Office
DUDE WOW was founded in 2020 by Brandon Igdalsky, former president of Pocono Raceway and a longtime NASCAR executive. With bars closed during the pandemic, Igdalsky began batching his bold, ready-to-pour Bloody Mary mix for friends. When restaurants reopened and started asking for bottles, a hobby became a business.
The flagship All-Natural Bloody Mary Mix blends vegetable juices, horseradish, Worcestershire, steak sauce, Florida citrus and a custom spice blend. It is gluten-free, low in sodium and made without preservatives, high fructose corn syrup or artificial ingredients. The team is now developing additional Bloody Mary variants, along with new cocktail mixers including margarita and paloma mixes.
In six years, the brand has grown from a Central Florida favorite into one of the most decorated mixes in its category.
What’s Next
“Six years ago this was a mix I made for a handful of friends stuck at home,” said Brandon Igdalsky, Founder and Chief Mixer of DUDE WOW Cocktails. “Walking out of Bentonville with a Golden Ticket is a moment I won’t forget. My whole career has been about putting the fan first, and Walmart gives us the chance to put a better Bloody Mary within reach of millions of fans.”
“Every bottle of DUDE WOW is made in America, and we’re proud that Open Call champions small businesses like ours,” Igdalsky added. “To our customers, bartenders, retail partners and the veterans we support through BE THE ONE: this one belongs to you. We’re just getting started.”
DUDE WOW will now work with Walmart’s merchant team on next steps toward bringing its products to Walmart customers. Details on product availability will be shared as they are finalized.
About DUDE WOW Cocktails
Founded in Central Florida in 2020 by longtime sports executive Brandon Igdalsky, DUDE WOW Cocktails is a Winter Garden, Fla.-based maker of award-winning, small-batch, all-natural Bloody Mary mixes and seasoning paste. Known as Florida’s “Official Drink of Brunch,” DUDE WOW is served in restaurants and bars, sold at select retailers, and available nationwide at dudewowcocktails.com.
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