H-E-B’s Now Delivering Beer and Wine for Free Throughout Texas: This is no Small Grocery Store Favor

Here’s a little something new for the here and now. H-E-B and Favor are teaming up to deliver beer and wine to Texas doorsteps.

That’s right. From now through Labor Day, you can buy beer and wine from H-E-B and get it delivered for free in less than an hour. You’ll get your brews and Bordeaux before you even finish up that power hour. Now, that news is 60 Minutes-worthy.

Texas grocery store titan H-E-B purchased Favor, the innovative Austin-based delivery company, back in February. This new beer and wine delivery is a big step forward for this new combo.

“The inspiration was our customers. At Favor, we value customers and we get anything in the city to your door in under an hour. Beer and wine has been missing from that. For the past five years, that has remained the No. 1 request,” Jag Bath, Favor CEO and H-E-B chief digital officer, tells PaperCity.

“That drove the inspiration to get this done. H-E-B made that a reality to deliver.”

Favor’s new service will roll out in more than 30 cities across the Lone Star State. After Labor Day the beer and wine delivery will remain available, but Favor’s standard fee and tip format, $6 and $2 respectively, will apply.

H-E-B was the ideal partner when it came to this boozy service. “We sell more wines than any other retailer in the state, and more craft beer. That’s a big part of this. In order to do this well for our customers, it’s all about breadth and depth and collection and assortment,” Bath says.

This new delivery service is all about plentiful options. Instead, it’s a world of beers and wines at your fingertips. Through your smartphone, that is.

The grocery giant puts a neighborhood spin on every store, giving you a tailored and specially curated selection. You can choose from an H-E-B beer and wine expert’s top picks or even customize your order. Local breweries top the list, like Buffalo Bayou Brewing, No Label Brewing, Lone Pint Brewing and 8th Wonder Brewery.

“The craft beer scene in Austin and San Antonio and across Texas is growing really quickly. Partnering with a lot of those breweries is great to bring that local selection to our customers,” Bath notes. You’ll also find wines from the rolling slopes of the Texas Hill Country.

There’s a cap on how much wine you can order for delivery, but as of right now, you’re wide open when it comes to brewskis. Anyone feel like a house party?

It’s all about customer ease and comfort, Bath says. Those busy prepping for a party don’t need to step out and grab their beer and wine. “This is definitely the heart of convenience,” the Favor guru says.

Both for the extensive options and the quick turnaround. Bath says some people underestimate just what under an hour truly means.

“I think I take it for granted because we do this all day, every day at Favor. Our average delivery time is 35 minutes,” Bath says. “Our competitors offer things like free two-hour delivery. When you actually look at it and get into it, there are minimums you have to order. And there’s another piece here that’s really important.

“The two-hour promise is just a window of time. Not from the point of you placing the order, it’s a two hour window into the future.”

With other services, it’s like waiting for the cable guy, Bath argue. Only this one’s got your goodies captive.

“What we do here, it’s in your hands in less than an hour from the moment you place the order. Layer that on top of no minimum (buy), best selection, best prices,” Bath adds.

The Digital Grocery Store Wars

This new service is just one of H-E-B and Favor’s team ups in tech and digital offerings. HEBtoyou delivery and Curbside pickup are others. Those services are currently available at more than 100 H-E-Bs and it will jump up to 200 stores by the end of the year.

Of course, there’s more and more competition in this realm. On Monday, Amazon revealed its plan to deliver groceries from its Houston Whole Foods affiliates. Amazon’s service includes brews, too. But not delivered in less than an hour.

“We felt that this was a great way to celebrate the two companies coming together,” Bath says. “Let’s do free delivery of beer and wine to celebrate the summer.”

Cheers to that.