Owen’s Craft Mixers was founded by Josh Miller and Tyler Holland, brothers-in-law living in New York City. The brand has formulated a range of cocktail mixers that are simply added to spirits for a better experience. Owen’s wants to offer consumers the opportunity to drink craft cocktails outside of special occasions.
The mixers are available at several major retailers nationwide, including CVS, Publix, and Amazon. To date, Owen’s has raised more than $10 million in funding, including $7.5 million in a Series B round in May 2021.
Among those investors is singer-songwriter Darius Rucker, who recently shared more with Fortune about his decision to invest in the cocktail mixer brand.
- Startup: Owen’s Craft Mixers
- Location: New York City
- Year founded: 2015
- Valuation: Declined to disclose
- Investment level: Series B
- Number of employees: 13 employees, two contractors
- Other major investors: Lee Brice, Larry Levy, Mario Lemieux, and Dave Grutman
Why he invested, in his own words
I first became familiar with Owen’s when I started noticing their cocktails at the stadiums and concert venues where I was performing.
When I got to meet Owen’s cofounder Josh Miller, he really showed me how different Owen’s is from anything else on the market. He showed me how, in a few short years, he and cofounder Tyler Holland made Owen’s the fastest growing brand in their category. It was really interesting to see how they didn’t want to be a buzzy brand. Instead they went against the grain and were intentional about what they described to me as getting “liquid to lips.”
Once we went beyond talking just about the product to actually discussing how they run their business, I saw firsthand how their strategic footprint is diverse, from hospitality groups and sports stadiums to national retailers and restaurants. It is clearly a recipe for success.
It was a simple decision for me to invest. Based on their track record and steady growth, Owen’s is set to become a leader in the craft mixer category, and I’m proud to be associated with their team.
This is an installment of Why I Invested, a series featuring famous investors from all different backgrounds and industries, revealing what inspired them to invest their own money in a new business.