Core Brewing and Distilling Company

What Core Brewing and Distilling Company does

Core Brewing and Distilling Company, LLC is a privately held craft beverage manufacturer founded by Jesse Core in 2010 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas. The company originally operated as one of Arkansas's first craft breweries, but in 2018 restructured its commercial focus toward vodka-based hard seltzers under the Scarlet Letter Beverage Co. brand, in response to declining craft beer demand and the rise of better-for-you alcoholic beverages. It now manufactures and distributes a portfolio of nine Scarlet Letter flavor SKUs (Red, Purple, Green, Blue, Gold, Pink, Black Cherry, Cranberry, Tart Watermelon) in 6-, 12-, and 24-pack configurations, alongside a 10% ABV Party-Pack format and a legacy craft beer line (Golden Lion, ESB, Los Santos IPA, Impalator) under the Core brand.

The firm generates revenue through wholesale product sales across regional liquor and grocery retail (Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Colorado) and, since 2023, an exclusive private-label arrangement with Sam's Club for Member's Mark Spiked Seltzer, which places its product in 600+ club locations across 20+ states. Direct-to-consumer revenue is captured through two taprooms: the Brewery Taproom in Springdale and the XNA Taproom at Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The company is operationally lean, with a headcount reported as 1–10, founder-led (Jesse Core), and capitalized via five disclosed funding rounds totaling roughly $7.2 million, the most recent being a 2021 SEC-registered securities offering of $2,208,125 from executive officers and promoters.

Core's go-to-market combines regional wholesale, a flagship national private-label channel, and on-premise taproom sales targeting two consumer segments: health-conscious adult beverage drinkers seeking low-calorie/low-carb alcoholic options, and general adult consumers seeking premium craft flavors. The 2024 'Year of Innovation' extended the brand into Scarlet Letter Cocktails and non-alcoholic product lines and added new packaging formats, signaling category and portfolio expansion beyond the original seltzer positioning. The legal entity remains Core Brewing & Distilling Company, LLC, an Arkansas-incorporated limited liability company with trading brand Scarlet Letter Beverage Co.

Name

Core Brewing and Distilling Company

Legal name

Core Brewing & Distilling Company, LLC

Website

https://coreofarkansas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Core Brewing and Distilling Company, a privately held Springdale, Arkansas-based craft beverage manufacturer, produces the Scarlet Letter hard seltzer and hard beverage line, distributing under its own brand and via an exclusive Sam's Club private-label partnership across 20+ states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beverages / Hard Seltzer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcoholic Beverage Co-Packing (Beer, Wine, Spirits, Cider) (AFAFAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB), Alcoholic Beverage Blending, Bottling & Private Label (Non-Distilling) (AFAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Craft brewing
• Hard seltzer
• Flavored malt beverages
• Taproom operations
• Craft beer

Headquarters

HQ city

Springdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beverage Product Sales: Sale of Scarlet Letter hard seltzers and hard beverages through retail channels including liquor stores, grocery stores, and Sam's Club. Products sold in 6-pack, 12-pack, and 24-pack formats.
2. Taproom Sales: On-premises sales of draft beers, seltzers, specialty cocktails, and ready-to-drink hard beverages at two taproom locations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Core Brewing and Distilling Company manufactures and sells the Scarlet Letter line of premium hard seltzers/hard beverages in multiple flavors and pack sizes (6-pack, 12-pack, 24-pack), along with a craft beer portfolio under the Core Brewing & Distilling Co. brand. The company also operates two taproom locations and supplies the Sam's Club-exclusive Member's Mark Spiked Seltzer, distributed across 20+ U.S. states.

Product overview

Core Brewing and Distilling Company is a dual-brand craft beverage manufacturer. The primary brand is Scarlet Letter Beverage Co., a hard seltzer/hard beverage company offering multiple flavors (Red, Purple, Green, Blue, Gold, Black Cherry, Pink, Cranberry, Tart Watermelon) in various pack configurations (6-packs, 12-packs, 24-packs), plus the Sam's Club exclusive Member's Mark Spiked Seltzer sub-brand. The legacy Core Brewing & Distilling Co. craft beer portfolio continues with beers like Golden Lion, ESB, Los Santos IPA, and Impalator. The company operates two taproom locations and distributes products through liquor stores, grocery chains, and Sam's Club nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scarlet Letter: Premium, award-winning hard beverages (hard seltzer brand) featuring multiple flavors including Red, Purple, Green, Blue, Pink, Gold, Black Cherry, Cranberry, and Tart Watermelon. Available in 6-packs, variety packs, and freedom packs.
• Member's Mark Spiked Seltzer

Products and services

• Scarlet Letter Beverage Co. Hard Beverages Premium, award-winning hard seltzer/hard beverage brand featuring bold flavors made in Springdale, AR. Sold across the U.S. through liquor stores, grocery stores, and Sam's Club.
• Scarlet Letter Red Original Scarlet Letter flavor made with cucumber, lime, ginger beer, and hibiscus; the crowd favorite and first-ever Scarlet Letter SKU.
• Scarlet Letter Purple Unique artisan blend featuring passion fruit, elderflower, coriander, and key lime; not too sweet for all-day drinking.
• Scarlet Letter Green Floral, sweet, fruity, and refreshing flavor featuring pear, kiwi, bergamot, basil, and lemon.
• Scarlet Letter Blue First limited release flavor made with blueberry, white peach, and lemon.
• Scarlet Letter Gold Hot weather limited release designed for the hottest days of summer.
• Scarlet Letter Black Cherry Bold black cherry flavor balanced with almond, ginger, and key lime.
• Scarlet Letter Pink Valentine's Day release featuring raspberry, rosé, champagne, hibiscus, and lime flavors.
• Scarlet Letter Cranberry Holiday seasonal release made with cranberry, apple, vanilla, ginger, and lemon.
• Scarlet Letter Tart Watermelon Summer seasonal featuring watermelon and lime flavors.
• Scarlet Letter Variety Pack 12-pack variety combining Red, Purple, and Green flavors. Available at liquor stores.
• Scarlet Letter Freedom Pack Patriotic mixed pack featuring Red and Blue flavors. Available in 12 and 24-packs.
• Member's Mark Spiked Seltzer Nationwide product exclusive to Sam's Clubs in over 20 states; uses the same Scarlet Letter recipes under Sam's Club branding.
• Core Beers (Craft Beer Portfolio) Craft beer portfolio including Golden Lion, ESB, Los Santos IPA, Impalator, and various seasonal releases; the company's original product line since 2011.
• 10% ABV Party-Pack Seltzers Higher-strength 10% ABV seltzer party packs for consumers seeking higher alcohol content in convenient formats.
• Scarlet Letter Cocktails Ready-to-drink Scarlet Letter cocktails introduced in 2024 as part of the company's innovation push.
• Scarlet Letter Non-Alc Products Non-alcoholic beverage products from the Scarlet Letter brand launched in 2024.
• Brewery Taproom (On-Premise Sales) On-premises sales of draft beers, seltzers, specialty cocktails, and ready-to-drink hard beverages at the Springdale, AR brewery taproom.
• XNA Taproom (Airport On-Premise) Taproom at Northwest Arkansas National Airport offering award-winning locally-crafted bar menu with food and beverages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sales more than tripled during Covid pandemic
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sam's ClubflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerIn 2023, Scarlet Letter partnered with Sam's Club to create Member's Mark Spiked Seltzer. This began nationwide expansion as the product expanded into over 20 states including Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, California, and Illinois. The liquid inside Member's Mark cans uses the exact same Scarlet Letter recipes. The product is exclusive to Sam's Clubs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• White Claw (Mark Anthony Brands): White Claw is the category-defining hard seltzer brand owned by Mark Anthony Brands and is the most direct competitor to Scarlet Letter in vodka-based flavored seltzers sold through liquor, grocery, and club channels.
• Truly Hard Seltzer (Boston Beer Company): Truly is Boston Beer Company's flagship hard seltzer line, competing head-to-head with Scarlet Letter in flavored hard seltzers across multi-pack retail formats and on-premise accounts nationwide.
• Bon & Viv (AB InBev): Bon & Viv is AB InBev's hard seltzer brand, directly comparable as a mass-distributed competitor in the same flavored hard seltzer category where Scarlet Letter competes.
• High Noon Spirits Co. High Noon is a vodka-based hard seltzer brand distributed by E. & J. Gallo and is a direct peer in the spirit-based (vodka) hard seltzer segment that Scarlet Letter occupies.

Broad incumbents

• Topo Chico Hard Seltzer (Coca-Cola): Topo Chico Hard Seltzer is Coca-Cola's entry into the flavored hard seltzer category; backed by a global incumbent's distribution, it competes with Scarlet Letter for the same shelf and occasion.
• Vizzy Hard Seltzer (Molson Coors): Vizzy is Molson Coors' hard seltzer brand with antioxidant-infused positioning; it is a broad-incumbent peer competing in the same flavored hard seltzer space with deeper marketing budgets.

Emerging players

• Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water (Constellation Brands): Wild Basin is Constellation Brands' cocktail-inspired hard seltzer line and is comparable to Scarlet Letter's artisan-flavored positioning with premium natural flavor profiles.
• Press Hard Seltzer: Press is a smaller hard seltzer brand with apple-based and fruit-flavored SKUs that overlaps Scarlet Letter's premium-natural-flavor positioning at a similar scale and price point.

Regional players

• Ozark Beer Company: Ozark Beer Company is an Arkansas-based craft brewery that operates in the same regional market and taproom category as Core's legacy brewing business, making it a comparable for the brewery/taproom leg of Core's portfolio.
• Fossil Cove Brewing Co. Fossil Cove is an Arkansas craft brewery operating in the same Northwest Arkansas geography as Core's Springdale taproom, providing a regional peer benchmark for local craft beer volumes and taproom economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coreofarkansas
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScarletLetterBevCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scarletletterbevco
• Instagraminstagram.com/scarletletterbevco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Core Brewing and Distilling Company