white claw facility set for construction in arizona

Work could begin soon on the building of a 950,000 square-foot factory in Glendale that will produce a phenomenally popular alcoholic seltzer line.

The Chicago-based Mark Anthony Brands, Incorporated, wants to build a new production facility primarily to keep up with the demand for its White Claw Hard Seltzer, a product that has taken the beverage industry by storm.

Offering nine different flavors, the White Claw line has, according to reports, seen a 250 percent increase in sales in the last two years and is now listed as the country’s top-selling hard seltzer.

Launched in 2016, the success of the brand, noted the New York Times last year, “mirrors the broader craze for seltzer in America.”

The company has indicated that it expects to see sales this year in the neighborhood of $4 billion.

The new factory will be built on a 95-acre site at the southeast corner of Reems Royal and Peoria Avenue. The brewing company has agreed to take on around $2 million in road improvements leading into the site.

In a move to incentivize the project, the City of Glendale agreed to suspend up to $750,000 in planning review and permit inspection fees.

The new facility is expected to cost around $250 million to build. That facility will also manufacture the company’s Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Mike’s Harder Lemonade, among other products.
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In a statement, John Sacksteder, president of Mark Anthony Brewing, said that once the new facility is completed by early next year, it will serve as a “beacon for the advanced manufacturing capabilities of the City of Glendale and the State of Arizona.”

​By Garry Boulard

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