San Diego-based Ashland Hard Seltzer will soon be sold to Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD), according to a report on SanDiegoVille.com, noting the sale is imminent as the two parties work out the details.
Ashland Beverages was founded early in 2020 by the Harland Brewing team, led by CEO Josh Landan. Landan previously founded San Diego’s Saint Archer Brewing, which he sold to Molson Coors in 2015 for just under $80 million.
Hard Seltzer News interviewed Landan in a podcast in August, 2020, in the early days of growth for the young brand. Landan hinted at big plans for Ashland.
With the distribution footprint of A-B, Ashland could quickly expand beyond its region, currently covering the state of California.
“I’ve never seen a brand do what Ashland has done in terms of sales,” Landan told Hard Seltzer News.
Attempts to reach Landan for a comment on the pending sale have been unsuccessful. Stay tuned for updates.
Ashland Hard Seltzer Created an Identity
Similar to Saint Archer and Harland, the spiked seltzer is branded as a lifestyle choice aimed at adventurous, outdoorsy types. Ashland Hard Seltzer has successfully positioned itself as “the only craft made, organic hard seltzer brewed with alkaline water.”
Ashland’s alkaline water “supports in neutralizing excessive acidity and toxins in our bodies while also being ultra-hydrating.” Each can of Ashland contains 99 calories and zero fat, sugar, or carbs. All varieties are also gluten-free and are 5% ABV.
Ashland Hard Seltzer is available in eight year-round flavors: Blackberry Lemonade, Lime, Mango Strawberry, Pineapple, Raspberry Lemonade, Tangerine, Tropical Cherry, and Watermelon. Its current limited release flavors include Ginger Peach, Malbon Fruit Punch, and Orange Pineapple.
An Instagram Strategy for Growth
“With the amount of product that we’re selling and just that territory, we should be doing that in multiple states, and we’re doing it in two counties. So, it’s really like nothing I’ve seen before and based on our Instagram… everybody all over the country really wants it,” said Landan last year.
Ashland is co-owned by a number of famous friends in Landan’s Rolodex, including comedians and professional athletes. Workaholics’ Adam Devine and Blake Anderson, country music star Chris Lane, Detroit Lions’ Quarterback Jared Goff, and Dodgers’ first baseman Cody Bellinger are among Landan’s teammates in the company.
“We’re all kind of in it together, and it’s fun too when you can do something authentic like that,” Landan said of his notable co-owners.
Why Stick to Hard Seltzer?
After so much time focused on craft beer, why turn to hard seltzer now? Landan gave HSN the scoop, and got to the heart of hard seltzer’s popularity in the process.
“[F]or me, the transition was easy because that’s what I’m drinking…Everybody’s drinking hard seltzer,” he said. “Everybody wants to be healthy and happy and feel good and still have fun and barbecue and have a couple of drinks…It just kind of got harder and harder to drink multiple beers.”
We’re excited to see what this new partnership with A-B means for Ashland. Given the hard seltzer’s popularity in Southern California, we hope to see nationwide distribution soon – and maybe a commercial starring the Workaholics crew, if we’re lucky.
A-B InBev’s continuing quest to control the hard seltzer market demonstrates how spiked and sparkling drinks are here to stay. As Landan told HSN, “the masses are not drinking beer as much, and I think this is the replacement to light beer.”
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