Utah is experiencing its own viral moment

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s majestic mountains, epic national parks, and incredible skiing draws in visitors from all around the world, but these days, the state’s “flavorful” trends are getting a whole lot of attention.

Home of the Dirty Soda – an entire genre of non-alcoholic drinks. A diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, or Mountain Dew, mixed with flavored syrups, fruit purees, and cream.

People creating their viral versions of the sugary concoctions, taking a Utah concept developed by the likes of Swig, Sodalicious, Thirst, and others to a whole new level.

Nicole Tanner is the founder of Swig.

“It is really fun to see people making TikTok videos at home making their own dirty soda flavors. I’m like ‘Okay, this is really cool.’”

The mom of 5 opened the first shop in St. George to fill her daily fix of diet Coke, lemon, and pebble ice.

“Because I knew there were other people like me that would appreciate a good beverage and a fast-moving line where you’re made to feel special.”

14 years later, the Utah phenomenon has been exported nationwide. There are now nearly 100 Swigs in the U.S.

People like WNBA Superstar Caitlin Clark and local reality TV stars have been getting in on the craze.

“Now people are like ok, we need a Swig because they love their Swig and we want to make their drink,” said Tanner.

Utah’s burgeoning reality TV scene is popularizing other local trends as well.

Meg Walter and Emily King are hosts of the podcast Hive Mind, focused on pop culture, movies, and the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

“I think it’s so fun to show off what we have to offer in Salt Lake City,” said Walter.

King says with all this attention, she’s had to answer a lot of questions.

“I have a lot of co-workers who don’t live in Utah and the constant DM’s I will get. Every single week after housewives they’re like, what’s this about?” King said.

The latest craze is the “Utah Curl,” a new hairstyle finding steam on social media.

“I didn’t know Utah had curls so that was fun for me to realize like oh, everyone outside of the state was like Utah Curls,” King said.

“I know quite a few people who come to Utah to get their hair done, usually from the east coast.Thi” Walter said.

“They were Utah’s best kept secret before Jesse went on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” said LaRae Day, a former high fashion runway model turned tech CEO. She’s been wearing the pricy extension for years.

“Who doesn’t want to have Rapunzel’s hair? It’s the JZ Styles, the jagger and almond cookie custom colored to an almond color with 22 inch length in case you were wondering,” Day said.

Day predicts another Utah trend on the horizon with a new reality series moving in, “Sold on SLC”.

“I personally had an opportunity to be a homebuyer on the show with my real estate agent who sold me the house I’m sitting in right now, right here.” Day said.

Jennifer Yep and Kenny Sperry, two stars of the “Sold in SLC” series, hosted KSL TV at the Presidio Real Estate Headquarters, located in Lehi.

“Our real estate market is blowing up. People have eyes on Utah,” Jennifer Yeo, CEO of Presidio Real Estate said.

Sperry has a lot of out of state clients who want the outdoor lifestyle Utah has to offer.

“A lot of it is people cashing out of California and spending their money in beautiful Utah.” Sperry said

The real estate show promises plenty of dialed up drama and stunning properties.

“We’ve got ski chalets. We’ve got little traditional homes. We’ve got it all here,” Yeo said.

“Utah sells itself,” added Sperry.