Constellation Brands has acquired the rest of a female-owned craft-cocktail business in Austin, Texas.
Austin Cocktails, started in 2012 by sisters Jill Burns and Kelly Gasink, was distributed in 28 states last year. It distributes high-end premixed cocktails in flavors that include Cucumber Vodka Mojito, Ruby Red Cocktail, Perfect Bergamot Orange Margarita, Peppered Maple Blood Orange Bourbon Cocktail and New School Gin Mule, with 12% to 15% alcohol content.
Constellation invested in Austin Cocktails in 2018 as part of a program it calls “Focus on Female Founders,” supportive of female entrepreneurs. The decision to acquire the rest of the company was announced April 7. Terms were not announced. The Austin Cocktails brand will be integrated into Constellation’s Fine Wine & Craft Spirits Division, and Burns and Gasnik will join Constellation.
“As female founders operating in an environment where women entrepreneurs are significantly under-funded, we feel a sense of tremendous accomplishment to have built Austin Cocktails and recognize the additional implications of our success, Gasink said in a statement. “Constellation’s commitment to female founders is helping change the landscape of the industry and beyond.”
