The Finnish Long Drink Cuts Jobs After Being Acquired by White Claw Owner

The Finnish Long Drink packaging are seen in a shop in Chicago, United States on October 14, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via AP)

The Finnish Long Drink has eliminated several sales positions following its acquisition by Mark Anthony Brands earlier this year, with affected employees saying their roles are being cut as the companies integrate the ready-to-drink cocktail business.

Former Long Drink employees announced the elimination of their positions on LinkedIn this week, as reported by Brewbound. The affected roles include regional vice presidents, field sales managers and sales associates across territories stretching from the East Coast to Michigan and California.

“Since acquiring the Long Drink in April, we’ve been working closely with the team to integrate different parts of the business into Mark Anthony in phases,” a Mark Anthony representative said, according to Brewbound. “As that process continues, more teams have been integrated, but not every single position. Those decisions were not made lightly.”

Mark Anthony did not disclose how many positions have been eliminated.

The company said it is supporting affected employees through the transition and remains committed to growing the brand.

The job cuts are expected to take effect by the end of September, according to the LinkedIn posts cited by Brewbound.

No related Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices had been filed in Illinois, where Mark Anthony is headquartered, or New York, where Long Drink is based.

Mark Anthony announced in April that it had agreed to acquire the Finnish Long Drink, with the transaction expected to close within weeks.

The deal brought the rapidly growing gin-based RTD brand into the portfolio of the company behind White Claw Hard Seltzer.

Long Drink CEO Evan Burns launched the brand in 2018 alongside Finnish co-founders Mikael Taipale, Skaria Manninen and Ere Partanen. The four founders continue to work with the company, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

Burns recently described the acquisition as an opportunity to give Long Drink access to Mark Anthony’s scale and experience.

“What started as an idea in Helsinki among friends became the fastest-growing spirit brand in the world,” Burns wrote on LinkedIn, saying the company’s goal is to turn the Finnish long drink into a “generational lifestyle brand.”

The acquisition comes as Long Drink continues to post significant sales growth in the U.S.

According to NIQ data reported by Brewbound, Long Drink dollar sales rose 20.2% while volume increased 20.3% during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 8 across tracked U.S. off-premise channels.

Its flagship Traditional Citrus continued to grow, with dollar sales up 4.4% and volume up 3.8%.

The brand’s Zero Sugar offerings have grown even faster. Zero Sugar Citrus posted an 18.1% increase in dollar sales and a 16.7% increase in volume, while the Zero Sugar variety pack grew 178.3% and 172.6%, respectively.

The Finnish Long Drink is also Mark Anthony’s largest spirits-based RTD offering, ahead of Olé Tequila Canned Cocktails and Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers.