Popular Adult Drink Maker Slashing 140 Jobs in New Jersey

First introduced to the mainstream liquor market in the 1990s, Flavored Malt Beverages and Hard Seltzers have grown in popularity over the following decades. The popularity wave began thanks to specific brands that have experienced a surge in recent years.

While Zima was the first brand to gain any traction, the Hard Seltzer market grew thanks to the social media buzz created by White Claws. Since the 2019 "Summer of White Claw", many mainstream companies and local small businesses have created their own hard seltzers to crowd the once-niche market.

Flavored Malt Beverages were pioneered by Anthony von Mandl's creation, Mike's Hard Lemonade. Over the last 25 years, Mike's Hard Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice sales account for 74 percent of all FMB category sales.

But the evolving tastes of consumers, market oversaturation, and false claims by some producers have led numerous patrons to change what products they are purchasing. In spite of this reality, both products produced by Mark Anthony Brewing have been the standard in their respective liquor sale categories.

So Why Are New Jersey Employees In Line To Loose Their Jobs?

The fourth-largest brewer in the United States, Mark Anthony Brewing, has submitted a notice to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The producers of White Claw and Mike's Hard Lemonade, which has a facility in Hillside, declared to the state department that it plans to eliminate 143 positions at its New Jersey manufacturing facility. These layoffs are tentatively scheduled to occur between September 23rd and November 3rd this year.

The Mark Anthony Group is a privately owned and operated company, so their financials are not public information.  What we do know is that corporations like this do not cut jobs when they are hitting certain profit goals, so it is fair to assume that these job cuts are a reflection of a larger company budgetary decision.

We hate to see people losing their jobs, and it is a harsh reminder of how important it is to support local small businesses in New Jersey. While it may be "easy" to go to the liquor store and get the big-name brands, situations like this should remind you to spend your money on businesses that make great adult beverages in New Jersey.

Here are some of the great craft breweries in New Jersey's southermost county and what you should know about them before visiting to have a drink: