In late 2025, the manufacturer behind White Claw Hard Seltzer and other ready-to-drink beverages conducted a substantial round of layoffs at its New Jersey brewery, affecting hundreds of workers and reflecting broader challenges in the alcoholic beverage market.
Layoff timeline
Mark Anthony Brewing, the company that produces White Claw, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and several other ready-to-drink (RTD) brands, filed a WARN notice in August 2025 with the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development, indicating planned workforce reductions at its Hillside facility. According to the WARN filing, 143 positions were eliminated with layoffs taking effect between September 26 and November 3, 2025.
The WARN report required the company to provide advance notice of the planned layoffs under federal and state law, giving affected workers time to prepare and seek new employment or training opportunities.
Reasons behind the cuts
The layoffs resulted from Mark Anthony Brewing temporarily pausing operations at the Hillside brewery due to an ongoing slowdown in demand for hard seltzers and other alcoholic beverages. Industry analysts had noted that sales for hard seltzers, which boomed earlier in the decade, softened significantly as consumer preferences shifted and competition intensified.
The Hillside facility — one of the company’s largest U.S. production sites — had been a key part of Mark Anthony’s manufacturing network since it opened in June 2020. However, the decision to pause production and cut staff underscored the volatility of the ready-to-drink segment in the mid-2020s.
Uncertainty around a “temporary” pause
Although Mark Anthony Brewing described the shutdown of the Hillside facility as temporary, the company did not provide a specific timeline for when production might resume. That lack of clarity left many displaced employees in a difficult position — uncertain whether to wait for a potential recall or pursue permanent employment elsewhere.
Workforce experts note that indefinite pauses can be especially challenging for manufacturing workers, who must balance unemployment benefits, retraining decisions, and financial obligations without knowing if their former jobs will return. As of early 2026, the company had not announced a reopening date, prolonging uncertainty for former Hillside workers and the surrounding community.
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