Top Ten Liquors

What Top Ten Liquors does

Top Ten Liquors is a privately-held, multi-channel alcohol and hemp-THC retailer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, operating 15 physical stores across the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area alongside a City Hive-powered e-commerce site, native iOS/Android mobile applications, and a defined evening delivery window (5:30 PM–8:30 PM). The chain, owned by Jon Halper, sells wine (red, white, rosé, sparkling, dessert, kosher across major global regions), spirits (vodka, whiskey, tequila, rum, gin, brandy, liqueur, sake), beer (IPA, hard seltzer, ale, lager, pilsner, stout), non-alcoholic beverages, and — since June 2023 — hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles. The technology stack is entirely third-party: City Hive powers the storefront and inventory, Dropbox hosts Certificates of Analysis for THC products, and standard SMS/email/age-verification integrations handle marketing and compliance. The business model is straightforward omnichannel retail with unit-based pay-as-you-go pricing, supplemented by a Top Ten Club loyalty program and recurring promotional mechanics (2 FORS, weekly and Sunday specials), and aggressive category-building in hemp THC, which now spans 300+ brands across 14 of 15 stores and is purchased by 25% of customers. The most material strategic variable is regulatory: a potential federal ban on hemp-derived THC scheduled for November 2026 could directly impair the chain's fastest-growing and most differentiated revenue line, while the underlying Minnesota alcohol-retail licensing regime continues to constrain new competitive entry in the chain's core market.

Name

Top Ten Liquors

Legal name

Top Ten Liquors

Website

https://toptenliquors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Top Ten Liquors is a privately-held, 15-store alcohol and hemp-THC retail chain in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, owned by Jon Halper, selling wine, spirits, beer, and 300+ THC brands via stores, e-commerce, mobile apps, and delivery to adult consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Liquor Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquor Stores (General Off-Premise) (CRANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Retail & Whiskey Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAD), Wine Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAB), Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE)

Keywords

• Liquor retail
• Wine selection
• Spirits sales
• Beer distribution
• THC beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Alcohol Sales: Brick-and-mortar and online retail sales of wine, spirits, beer, and THC products across 15 store locations in Minnesota. Products sold include wines (red, white, rosé, sparkling, dessert), spirits (vodka, whiskey, tequila, rum, gin, brandy, liqueur), beer (IPA, hard seltzer, ale, lager, pilsner, stout), and hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles.
2. Hemp-Derived THC Products: Sales of hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles, which became permitted for alcohol retailers in Minnesota in June 2023. Category has grown to include over 300 brands, with 25% of customers purchasing these products.
3. Delivery Services: Delivery services offered to customers, with delivery hours from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Top Ten Liquors operates a 15-store retail chain in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area selling wine, spirits, beer, hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles, and non-alcoholic beverages through brick-and-mortar locations, an e-commerce website, a mobile app, and a local delivery service. The retailer carries an extensive assortment organized by style, varietal, country, and region, and added hemp-derived THC beverages in June 2023 when Minnesota first permitted alcohol retailers to sell them.

Product overview

Top Ten Liquors is a multi-location liquor retail chain in Minneapolis, Minnesota, operating 15 stores. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of alcoholic and hemp-derived products organized into five main categories: Wine (including Red, White, Rosé, Sparkling, and Dessert varieties), Spirits (Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila, Rum, Gin, Brandy, Liqueur), Beer (IPA, Hard Seltzer, Ale, Lager, Pilsner, Stout), THC Products (Beverages, Gummies, Chocolates with over 300 brands), and Non-Alcoholic alternatives. The business operates both physical retail locations and an e-commerce platform powered by City Hive. Key customer engagement programs include the Top Ten Club loyalty program and Weekly Specials promotions. Owner Jon Halper has been a pioneer in Minnesota's hemp THC market since June 2023, with THC products now representing 25% of customer purchases across 14 stores.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wine Retail assortment of wines including Red, White, Rosé & Blush, Champagne & Sparkling, Dessert & Port, Kosher, and Other Wines, sourced from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, the United States, and New Zealand, and regions such as Bordeaux, Tuscany, Rioja, Burgundy, and Napa Valley. Sold to adult consumers 21+ for personal consumption, gifting, and social gatherings.
• Spirits Retail assortment of spirits including Vodka, Whiskey, Sake, Tequila, Rum, Gin, Brandy, and Liqueur, sourced from the United States, France, Ireland, Japan, Italy, and Mexico. Sold to adult consumers 21+ in Minnesota.
• Beer Retail assortment of beer including IPA, Hard Seltzer, Ale, Lager, Pilsner, and Stout varieties, with Staff Picks, New Arrivals, and On Sale categories. Sold to adult consumers 21+ in Minnesota.
• THC Products (Hemp-Derived) Hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles (gummies and chocolates) carried across 14 of the 15 Minnesota stores, with over 300 brands and 25% of customers purchasing these products. Targeted at adult consumers seeking cannabis alternatives to alcohol or for relaxation and wellness.
• Non-Alcoholic Beverages Non-alcoholic beverage alternatives including non-alcoholic wines and other NA options, offered for adult consumers seeking alcohol-free choices.
• Top Ten Club (Loyalty Program) Customer loyalty program providing members exclusive discounts, offers, and early access to new products across the Top Ten Liquors retail chain.
• Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) providing shopping, store information, promotional offers, and loyalty access for adult consumers 21+.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ABC Fine Wine & Spirits: Florida's largest privately held wine and spirits retailer with 125+ locations. Comparable multi-store off-premise alcohol retail model with broad assortment across price points, similar in structure to Top Ten Liquors' regional chain approach.
• Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods: Large regional liquor retail chain in Texas with a broad assortment of wine, spirits, and beer across many physical locations. Closely comparable multi-store off-premise format and category mix to Top Ten Liquors.
• Binny's Beverage Depot: Chicago-based liquor retail chain with multiple superstore locations offering deep wine, spirits, and beer assortment. Highly comparable regional multi-store liquor retailer with strong selection and competitive pricing, similar model to Top Ten in the Midwest.
• Twin Liquors: Texas-based specialty beverage retailer with multiple locations offering wine, beer, and spirits alongside curated selections and tasting events. Comparable multi-store retail format with emphasis on staff picks and curated offerings, similar to Top Ten's Buyer's Select program.

Broad incumbents

• Total Wine & More: Largest private liquor retailer in the U.S. with 200+ superstores across multiple states. Comparable as a multi-state off-premise alcohol retailer offering wine, beer, and spirits at scale — the dominant competitive benchmark for any regional liquor chain like Top Ten.
• BevMo!: Multi-state liquor retail chain (mainly California and the western U.S.) operating physical stores plus a strong e-commerce and delivery platform. Highly comparable omnichannel structure to Top Ten Liquors, just at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Drizly: Alcohol e-commerce and delivery platform serving multiple U.S. markets. Comparable to Top Ten's delivery and e-commerce motion, representing both a potential channel partner and a digital-native competitor for off-premise alcohol sales.

Regional players

• Heritage Wine & Liquor: Multi-store liquor retailer in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Directly comparable to Top Ten as a same-market regional competitor serving the same Minnesota consumer base with a similar product assortment.
• Keg n Bottle: Regional liquor retailer operating multiple stores in the upper Midwest (Minnesota-adjacent). Closely comparable to Top Ten in geography, customer base, and product mix — a direct local competitor in the Minneapolis market.

Others

• Total Beverage Solution: Wholesale distributor specializing in wine, spirits, and beverages. Comparable as a B2B counterpart in the alcohol value chain supplying retailers like Top Ten, and a potential wholesale supplier for the company's broad assortment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/toptenliquors
• Instagraminstagram.com/toptenliquors
• Xx.com/toptenslp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Top Ten Liquors