Billionaire Anthony von Mandl is one of the richest people in Canada with a net worth now estimated at $8.7 billion, up from $3.3 billion 15 months ago, according to Forbes. Von Mandl is the founder of Mark Anthony Brands, which includes both Mike’s Hard Lemonade and White Claw hard seltzer brands, two of the most influential ready-to-drink cocktails on the market.
He’s also an acclaimed vintner who owns five successful wineries including the awe inspiring Mission Hill Winery in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley region.
Mission Hill was visited by Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, during their Commonwealth tour of 2016. Von Mandl has been producing and importing fine wines for nearly fifty year and is the founder of Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits.
Wine may be a passion of von Mandl, but he has the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage boom to thank for his billions.
Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer
Mike’s Hard Lemonade was a consumer favorite long before hard seltzers took center stage. The brand launched in Canada in 1996 and was introduced to the US in 1999, where it took the market by storm. Mike’s was easily one of the most popular early iterations of the modern ready-to-drink beverage.
The trailblazing brand has seen a considerable spike in sales recently as a result of the RTD beverage craze. Mike’s Hard Lemonade sales were up by more than one hundred percent last year alone.
There are currently over a dozen Mike’s Hard flavors on the market and the brand recently expanded, adding Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer to its product lineup earlier this year. The seltzer is available in four flavors including Lemon, Mango, Pineapple and Strawberry. Each 12 ounce can contains 100 calories, 1 gram of carbs, 1 gram of sugar and an ABV of 5%. The brand also makes Mike’s Harder, which features an ABV of 8%.
In 2015 the Mark Anthony Group sold its rights to Mike’s Hard Lemonade in Canada to Anheuser-Busch’s Labatt Breweries for $350 million, but maintained its US rights to the beverage. The AB InBev (NYSE: BUD) brand has since launched its own seltzer, Mike’s Hard Seltzer in the European market.
It is worth noting that Mike’s Hard Lemonade is often inaccurately described as a wine cooler — a drink made by combining wine and juice- even though it contains no wine. Therefore, Mike’s hard lemonade is not a wine cooler. The beverage, which is wine cooler-adjacent at best, was originally made with vodka. By the time it hit US shelves, the vodka had been replaced with a malt liquor base.
White Claw Hard Seltzer
Anthony von Mandl’s ready-to-drink legacy doesn’t end with Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Mark Anthony Brands launched White Claw Hard Seltzer in 2016 and majorly shook up the alcohol beverage industry.
White Claw wasn’t the first hard seltzer on the market but the brand became a household name after a series of videos and memes featuring gems like the popular “Ain’t no laws when you’re drinking Claws” reference went viral.
There was even a White Claw shortage in 2019 which caused turmoil amongst loyal consumers. The iconic seltzer currently controls about 58% of the booming US seltzer market. For reference, Boston Beer’s Truly, the second most popular hard seltzer, controls around 20%.
The hard seltzer market reached $3.8 billion last year and is expected to hit a whopping $11 billion by 2027, with White Claw leading the pack. White Claw Hard Seltzer’s product lineup is consistently growing.
White Claw Innovation
White Claw hard seltzer is offered in eleven flavors and multiple variety pack options. Each 12 ounce can contains 100 calories, 2 carbs and an ABV of 5%. The brand also recently launched White Claw Hard Seltzer Iced Tea in four flavors. The spiked teas come in 12 ounce cans and contain 100 calories, 1 gram of sugar and an ABV of 5%.
In April of this year White Claw released Surge, an imperial hard seltzer with an ABV of 8% and only 2 grams of sugar per 16 ounce can.
Mark Anthony Brands is also home to Cayman Jack, a line of ready-to-drink bottled cocktails, and MXD Cocktail Co. premixed canned cocktails. The company owns two spirits brands as well, Bearface Canadian Whisky and Glendalough Distillery.
Anthony von Mandl’s contributions to the alcohol beverage industry have undeniably changed the way consumers drink. They’ve also made him a billionaire 8.7 times over.
Consumers eagerly await future beverages from the winemaker turned RTD mogul who brought us White Claw and gave giant brewing corporations a run for their money.
- Seltzer Category Expanded for 2022 Craft Beer Marketing Awards - February 11, 2022
- Drifter Expands Portfolio with Nordic-Style Gin - January 18, 2022
- Tilray Acquires Green Flash and Alpine Beer - December 22, 2021
