‘It has just exploded’ – Irish White Claw sales fizz to nearly €3m

Brand first developed in Ireland has a 50pc share of the $4.7bn US hard seltzer market

Davin Nugent, of Mark Anthony Brands International. Picture by Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

Sean Pollock Email

April 11 2021 02:30 AM

Mark Anthony Brands International, a Canadian-owned alcoholic beverage group, has said Irish sales of its White Claw hard seltzer were €2.9m since its launch here last year.

The Mark Anthony group’s Dublin-based company, headed up by Davin Nugent, is in charge of innovation, marketing, general brand development and international distribution and sales for all brands outside of Canada. The Dublin company has grown from 11 staff in January 2020 to over 50 with plans to hire at least another 10.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Nugent said the Irish company’s success with White Claw had stood it in good stead, with the brand taking around a 50pc share of the $4.7bn US hard seltzer market.

“It’s gone from strength to strength,” he said of White Claw’s success over the past few years. “We created White Claw here in Ireland back in 2015, early 2016, with a view to launching it in the US in the summer of 2016.

“It has just exploded. From a standing start through to where we are now, the category… in the US alone is a $4.7bn category.

"That grew last year [by] 137pc; it is still in high growth. White Claw would have about a 50pc share of that, and we would be twice the size of our nearest competitor.”

Nugent is keen to point out the Irish aspect of White Claw’s success.

“This is the first brand we created here as part of the Irish business,” he said. “White Claw is very much an Irish success story rather than anything else.”

In 2020, Nugent was part of the team that took White Claw to markets outside of the US, including Ireland, the UK, Australia, The Netherlands and Canada. He is looking to launch White Claw in more markets this year, including Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

In Ireland, Nugent said the opportunity for White Claw is 10pc of the beer and cider category. He added this is his ambition in any new market the brand enters.

Nugent said the company had plans for further innovations from Ireland.

In 2019, Mark Anthony Brands bought Glendalough Whiskey.

Nugent said Mark Anthony Brands would be investing in the whiskey business in terms of new brands and offerings in the range and growing its distribution. It has entered into new markets, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

Mark Anthony Brands has launched a new global campaign called “Let’s White Claw”, which will enlist a mix of film and music creators.