Austin, Texas-based hard seltzer brand Mighty Swell has been acquired by Lemonati LLC, according to a press release from buy-side advisory firm Houlihan Lokey.

The transaction closed on July 28. However, the deal announcement was made yesterday by Houlihan Lokey. 

Lemonati is described as “the beverage alcohol division of a major international company, recognized globally for its expertise in developing and manufacturing citrus flavors, organic flavors, beverage flavors, essential citrus oils, and other flavors that are applicable across a wide variety of finished food, beverage, and consumer products.”

Brewbound Insiders can read more about the transaction.

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Silver Eagle Distributors Houston and Anheuser-Busch-owned Kona Big Wave have teamed up to support people affected by the Maui wildfires.

For every case of Kona Big Wave sold in Houston in August and September, $0.50 will be donated to the Maui Strong Fund. Consumers can also donate directly to the fund through a QR code on retail displays, according to a press release.

Micah Kane, CEO and president of the Hawaii Community Foundation, which runs the Maui Strong Fund, said: “The level of generosity we’ve seen in the past few days has been truly unprecedented.

“Donations to the Maui Strong Fund is bringing immediate relief to affected people and communities on communities [sic], through partners on the ground who are providing shelter, food, showers, animal care, grief support, and other services as needs arise. A heartfelt mahalo (thank you) to Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, Kona Big Wave, Anheuser-Busch, and other donors who are stepping up to support our Maui community at such a crucial time.”

The convenience channel is the strongest channel for beer, accounting for more than half of category dollar sales, according to NIQ data shared by 3 Tier Beverages.

Market research firm Circana released a “retail thought leadership” report on c-stores to help better understand the channel. While the report focuses on c-store sales across all CPG, Brewbound has distilled down the most relevant data insights for Insiders in bev-alc.

Brewbound Insiders can dive into all the insights here.

Brewbound Insiders are reading more details on the sale of Mighty Swell to Lemonati, including the latest scan data for the hard seltzer brand.

Plus:

• Circana data on beer, hard seltzer and RTD performances in c-stores;
• An update on Diageo’s presence in Maryland;
• And details on Elysian workers’ efforts to unionize.

Become an Insider today.

Brewbound’s Brew Talks Denver meetup will (unofficially) kick off the Great American Beer Festival weekend with conversations with industry leaders and networking on Thursday, September 21, from noon to 3 p.m. MT at Cervantes Masterpiece.

The conversation will discuss the challenges facing draft beer and strategies for improving draft trends.

Panelists include:

• Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione
• Buffalo Wild Wings director of beverage strategy & innovation Jason Murphy
• Tamarron Consulting co-founder and president Lori Scheiffler. 

Additional speakers and talks will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Tickets are available now.

The Brewbound Live business conference returns December 6-7 in Marina del Rey. Speakers and conversations to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Registration and the discounted room block is now open. Find out more details here.