Long before White Claw and Truly dominated the market, there was seltzer. Just regular, non-fermented, no flavor-added seltzer. It was sold in glass containers and delivered to your door by ‘seltzer men’.
These days, two intertwining family businesses in New York City are keeping this nostalgic profession going.
Founded and still based in Brooklyn, Gomberg Seltzer Works is said to be the city’s last remaining seltzer filling shop. Established in 1953 by Moe Gomberg, Gomberg Seltzer Works is now run by Moe’s grandson, Kenny Gomberg, and son-in-law, Irv Resnick.
Moe’s great-grandson (Kenny’s son) Alex Gomberg joined the family business in 2012, with the launch of Brooklyn Seltzer Boys, a seltzer delivery service. Brooklyn Seltzer Boys harks back to the old days of seltzer. Alex’s team schleps the fizzy drink, still filled into antique glass bottles, around the city. It operates as an independent business, within a business.Prior to his seltzer start-up, Alex obtained a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, but his draw to the Gomberg family business bubbled over.
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“It just so happens that [they] are owned by the same people, that's really the difference,” explained Alex. “One is a filling company and one is a delivery company.”
The Millennial-aged Gomberg is applying today’s technology and business acumen to this old-school profession. “I wanted to create a new brand that people can recognize, and see that old-fashioned seltzer is still an option, and we deliver it,” explained Alex. It’s taken off.
At the height of the pandemic, old-school home delivery became the main source of revenue for the two Gomberg-owned businesses. Alex even began to dabble in merchandise, a popular source of alternative revenue for bars and restaurants, creating an egg cream kit, available online through their e-commerce platform. It includes a branded t-shirt, bottle of U-bet chocolate flavored syrup, seltzer bottle, spoon and egg cream glass. It retails for $100.
The old-school, no frills seltzer has won over New York City’s discerning dining scene, too, with clients like Dutch Kills in Long Island City, Queens; Sama Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; and Dick & Jane’s in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
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“We choose to continue to work with Brooklyn Seltzer Boys because the addition of their seltzer to our cocktails creates an unrivaled beverage of exemplary quality,” said Richard Boccato, Dutch Kills’ owner and managing partner.
The Gomberg family stays tried and true to their seltzer production in using antique seltzer bottles - which are no longer made or manufactured - that fit with their equipment. Over a century old, these bottles were crafted in Europe, in particular, Czechoslovakia, Germany and Austria, and are obtained through sales from past vendors or owners.
Every seltzer bottle is hand-filled in a century-old, London-made, Barnett & Foster siphon filler. First, NYC tap water is tripled-filtered through sand and charcoal filters and then a paper polisher. The filtered water goes through a carbonator, which mixes it with liquid CO2 with a series of rotating paddles. The finished seltzer is pumped into a six-head siphon filling machine. Alex’s father maintains the equipment and builds wooden packing crates for the bottles.
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Compared to plastic bottled seltzer, Alex said their version is pressurized at a much higher pressure for a consistent fizz and taste. He noted that the first pour is going to have the same bite, taste and fizz as the last pour.
In further driving the seltzer market, Alex points to consumers switching from sugary drinks to more healthier options. For example, seltzer can be mixed with fresh fruit or added to a zero-proof cocktail. “All it is is water and carbon dioxide. There's no flavoring in our seltzer or there's no chemicals or additives; so it's just like drinking water.”
Brooklyn Seltzer Boys is available throughout New York’s five boroughs, parts of Long Island, New Jersey and upstate New York. Gomberg Seltzer Works is moving their production facility to Cypress Hills this fall, due to financial constraints from COVID-19.
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