THC Seltzer Wynk Projects Volume Will Triple This Year
May 20, 2025THC seltzer brand Wynk is in expansion mode, recently launching in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas, amid a wider period of growth for the company. The brand is available in a mixture of chain retailers and independents, while also maintaining a robust DTC business. Wynk’s seltzers come in 2.5mg, 5mg, and, with the company’s new lemonade seltzers, 10mg. Angus Rittenburg, CEO and co-founder of Wynk manufacturer Wherehouse Beverage Co., tells SND that the brand is projected to reach 450,000 cases by the end of the year, tripling its volume over 2024.
“50% of those cases are likely to be wholesale,” Rittenburg says. “Our goal has always been to make the wholesale business the majority of the business. It’s hard to do out of the gate, but I think we’re getting there.” He adds that if sales are especially strong this summer, 450,000 cases could be a conservative estimate.
In addition to adding new markets with distribution partners like Sarene in Kentucky, C&M Sales in Arkansas, United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama, and Beechwood Sales & Service for Wisconsin, Wynk launched a new line of 10mg lemonade-flavored seltzers in April. “We really designed the 10 milligram products directly out of feedback from distributors and retailers,” Rittenburg says. “We shipped about 120 pallets of 10 milligram within a week of producing it.”
While the brand’s growing across the board, Rittenburg says New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois are among Wynk’s strongest markets. “There’s not a ton of public data on competitive sets, but from our distributors and the retailers, it seems we’re at the top of each of those markets,” he says.
The brand’s team is focused on finding out which channels work best in which regions. “A lot of the newer markets for us are in the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas,” says Rittenburg. “We are getting pretty exciting growth there and expect that to continue. It does seem like those markets have a lot more convenience action. In convenience, I think the higher dose products are performing the best.”
At retail, Wynk has received buy-in from a mix of independents and chains, including locations of Total Wine & More, Piggly Wiggly, and Liquor Barn. Rittenburg estimates that 20% to 25% of Wynk’s retail sales are in chains, with the rest in independents. “Independents are the early adopters. In a lot of cases they’re very limited on space, and so they go with singles and it’s a great way to drive trial,” he says. “They get us the early sales, they get us customers. They’re finding tight reorder rates, which give us good velocity data that we can use when we go to some of the larger chains.”
While retail placement and DTC are the brand’s bread-and-butter, Rittenburg sees more potential for Wynk in the on-premise, particularly for consumers avoiding extra sugar and calories. “About 40% of our sales are to on-premise accounts in Chicago,” he says. “It’s the only thing in those establishments that gives you a social buzz that doesn’t have calories and it can sit on the non-alcoholic menu.”
Looking ahead, Rittenburg sees the brand focusing on what’s driven success so far. “We’ve promised zero calories, zero sugar, high quality, consistent dosing, all of those things, and any extensions we do will remain true,” he says. “We do talk a lot with distributors and retailers about innovation and what they want to see, and where it matches up with consumers, we’ll go for it.”—Shane English
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