Crook & Marker

What Crook & Marker does

Crook & Marker is a privately held US beverage company founded in 2018 by Ben Weiss, who previously founded Bai Antioxidant Beverages. The company produces canned alcoholic cocktails at 5% ABV in 11.5oz cans sold in 8-packs, built around a proprietary brewing process that ferments organic ancient grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet) and cassava root using a carefully selected yeast strain to produce a smooth, federally non-spirit-classified organic alcohol base branded as BASEBREW. Sweetening is achieved with organic stevia leaf extract, enabling a zero-sugar, 100-calorie-per-serving formulation that carries USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Orthodox Union Kosher, and vegan certifications across the portfolio.

The product architecture is organized into sub-brands by occasion and format: Bubs (carbonated cocktails: Tangerine Spritz, Black Cherry Fizz, Blackberry Lime Mojito, Grapefruit Lime Paloma), Still (non-carbonated cocktails: Lime Margarita, Piña Colada, Pomegranate Punch, Mango Mai Tai), Crooked Tea (hard iced tea), Crooked Pop (hard soda, launched April 2026), and AFTERVERSE Espresso Martini at 10–15% ABV. Registered trademarks on CROOK AND MARKER, BASEBREW, and CROOKED TEA formalize the IP. Revenue is generated through wholesale unit sales of canned 8-packs to grocery, convenience, and on-premise accounts, supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales of Crooked Tea through its dedicated website, with no public pricing or revenue disclosures.

The company distributes nationwide in the United States through retail stores, bars, restaurants, and online channels, supported by a website-based store locator, a consumer-initiated store request form, and a dedicated distributor and retailer portal. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook), email/SMS via Mailchimp, content marketing, influencer and athlete partnerships (notably Ryan Howard for Crooked Pop), and cause marketing through an American Diabetes Association partnership. Target customers are health-conscious adult beverage consumers seeking better-for-you alcoholic options without compromising on flavor.

Name

Crook & Marker

Legal name

Crook & Marker LLC

Website

https://crookandmarker.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Crook & Marker is a privately held US beverage company that produces zero-sugar, USDA Organic canned cocktails and adjacent hard beverages (Bubs, Still, Crooked Tea, Crooked Pop, AFTERVERSE) brewed from a proprietary fermentation of organic ancient grains and cassava root, distributed nationwide through retail and on-premise channels to health-conscious adult consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Canned Alcoholic Cocktails

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Alcoholic Beverage Production (Canned Cocktails, Hard Seltzer) (AFAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Canned cocktails
• Organic alcoholic beverages
• Hard seltzer
• Zero sugar drinks
• Premium spirits alternative

Headquarters

HQ city

Trenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Canned Cocktail Sales: Crook & Marker generates revenue through the sale of its canned cocktail products (8-packs of 11.5oz cans) sold in retail stores, bars, restaurants, and other locations nationwide. Products include both carbonated (Bubs) and non-carbonated (Still) varieties in multiple flavors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Crook & Marker manufactures and sells a portfolio of USDA Organic, zero sugar canned alcoholic cocktails brewed from a proprietary base of organic cassava root, quinoa, amaranth, and millet, sweetened with organic stevia. Products are packaged in 11.5oz cans sold as 8-packs across carbonated (Bubs), non-carbonated (Still), hard iced tea (Crooked Tea), hard soda (Crooked Pop), and espresso martini (AFTERVERSE) lines.

Product overview

Crook & Marker is a USDA Certified Organic hard soda/alcoholic beverage company offering a portfolio of zero sugar, gluten-free cocktails at 5% ABV. The core product lines consist of two categories: Bubs (carbonated beverages including Tangerine Spritz, Black Cherry Fizz, Blackberry Lime Mojito, and Grapefruit Lime Paloma) and Still (non-carbonated beverages including Lime Margarita, Piña Colada, Pomegranate Punch, and Mango Mai Tai). Additional products include Crooked Tea (hard iced tea) and AFTERVERSE Espresso Martini. All products are made with organic alcohol brewed from ancient grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet) and cassava root, sweetened with organic stevia leaf extract, and are vegan, non-GMO, and kosher certified. Products are sold in 11.5oz cans in 8-packs nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crooked Tea: Hard iced tea product line with zero sugar and organic ingredients.
• Crooked Pop
• Bubs
• Still

Products and services

• Tangerine Spritz Carbonated (Bubs) hard cocktail with revitalizing tangerine flavor, made with USDA organic ingredients and zero sugar at 5% ABV in 11.5oz cans.
• Black Cherry Fizz Carbonated (Bubs) hard cocktail featuring vibrant black cherry flavor with sparkling refreshment and zero carbohydrates.
• Blackberry Lime Mojito Carbonated (Bubs) hard cocktail infusing classic mojito character with blackberry kick and mint hint, made with organic ingredients.
• Grapefruit Lime Paloma Carbonated (Bubs) hard cocktail inspired by the iconic Mexican drink, featuring bold grapefruit and lime refreshment.
• Pomegranate Punch Still (non-carbonated) hard cocktail delivering sweet and tart pomegranate notes with zero carbohydrates.
• Piña Colada Still (non-carbonated) hard cocktail blending coconut and pineapple with a smooth, velvety finish and zero carbohydrates.
• Mango Mai Tai Still (non-carbonated) hard cocktail featuring tropical mango flavors in a mai tai style, part of the zero sugar organic portfolio.
• Lime Margarita Still (non-carbonated) hard cocktail offering zesty and tangy classic margarita flavor with a modern organic approach, sold as an 11.5oz 8-pack.
• Crooked Tea Hard iced tea product line positioned as a zero sugar organic alcoholic beverage alternative under a separate brand.
• AFTERVERSE Espresso Martini Canned espresso martini beverage at 10% ABV in 11.5oz cans or 15% ABV in 2.8 fl. oz bottles, part of the AFTERVERSE product line.
• Crooked Pop Hard soda product line launched with investor Ryan Howard, expanding the Crook & Marker portfolio beyond cocktails into the hard soda category.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 calories per serving (11.5oz can)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bon & Viv: AB InBev's Bon & Viv is a hard seltzer brand that competes in the same low-calorie canned alcoholic beverage space and benefits from Anheuser-Busch's national distribution reach.
• Cutwater Spirits: Cutwater produces a broad portfolio of canned cocktails (margaritas, palomas, espresso martinis) that directly overlap with Crook & Marker's flavor lineup and on-premise distribution model.
• High Noon Spirits: High Noon's vodka-based hard seltzer/canned cocktails overlap with Crook & Marker's Bubs line in SKU format, flavor variety, and target consumer, and both compete in the better-for-you RTD segment.
• Truly Hard Seltzer: Boston Beer's Truly is a leading hard seltzer brand offering flavored, low-calorie canned alcoholic beverages and competes directly with Crook & Marker's Bubs and Still lines in retail and on-premise channels.
• White Claw: Mark Anthony Brands' White Claw is the category-defining hard seltzer and the dominant player in the same RTD canned alcoholic beverage space where Crook & Marker competes for shelf space and consumer occasions.

Emerging players

• Nude Beverages: Nude Beverages is a small, emerging hard seltzer brand with a clean-label, low-calorie proposition that targets a similar health-conscious adult consumer as Crook & Marker.
• Wild Basin Spirits: Wild Basin is a smaller, emerging hard seltzer brand focused on botanical and craft flavor profiles, comparable in scale and better-for-you positioning to Crook & Marker.

Broad incumbents

• Smirnoff Seltzer: Diageo's Smirnoff Seltzer is an established hard seltzer from a global spirits major that competes broadly with Crook & Marker in mass-market retail and on-premise channels.
• Topo Chico Hard Seltzer: Coca-Cola's Topo Chico Hard Seltzer is a large-company RTD entrant leveraging a well-known bottled water brand, competing in the same premium canned alcoholic beverage space with far greater distribution scale.

Others

• Bai Antioxidant Beverages: Bai is the founder Ben Weiss's prior company and a useful comparable for evaluating Crook & Marker's potential: a better-for-you CPG beverage brand that scaled nationally and was ultimately acquired by Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/drinkcrooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crookandmarker
• Instagraminstagram.com/drinkcrooks

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Crook & Marker