E&J Gallo Spirits Division Acquires Fishers Island Lemonade

May 3, 2023

Spirit of Gallo enters into an agreement to purchase ready-to-drink spiked beverage business.

Spirit of Gallo announced an agreement to acquire Fishers Island Lemonade, a female-founded beverage brand that was among the first to present consumers ready-to-drink (RTD) craft cocktails in a can. According to a release from Spirit of Gallo, Fishers Island Lemonade was founded by Bronya Shillo in 2014, and was one of the initial contributors to the success of the RTD category, in which Spirit of Gallo’s High Noon brand resides.

Fishers Island Lemonade is inspired by the signature house cocktail, the “FIL,” served for decades at Shillo’s family bar, The Pequot Inn, on Fishers Island, N.Y. Shillo eventually began to package the very popular Fishers Island Lemonade cocktail in a can, and the business was born.

Spirit of Gallo further stated in the release that Shillo would remain on board “to guide the brand and serve as its official spokesperson.”

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.