What does LEMONATI LLC Own?
Lemonati LLC was founded in June of 2023 to purchase Mighty Swell, a line of hard seltzer that was created in the year 2016. Mighty Swell had been expecting a round of funding that would keep them afloat, but that fell through in December of 2022, leading to the sale. The announcement of the acquisition the following month was the first public acknowledgment of the company, which claimed to be the beverage division of a private family organization that “runs several different businesses globally,” according to Jeana Harrington, CEO of Mighty Swell. Details about what that company is, however, were initially unclear, although according to sources the company has some fruit and flavor-related businesses that Lemonati can take advantage of.
Through trademark filings, it became clear that Lemonati LLC is a family company of Citromax, a producer of lemon oil, lemon juice, and natural flavors. The company was started in 1964 in Tucamon, Argentina by Jacob Glueck, who was living in Argentina at the time and realized the opportunity to export lemons to the United States. The company now has operations in Carlstadt, New Jersey as well. In 1997, Glueck’s daughter, Vivian Glueck, took over the operation as President and CEO.
Since taking over the brand, the company has refreshed the brand imagery of Mighty Swell. It also launched a retro themed multipack called “Techniflavor.” The company has also registered the trademarks “Ready to Disco” and “Cherryosity.” In 2023, Lemonati opposed a trademark filing from Weird Beverages LLC, makers of Weird Tea, for their claim to the word “Weird.” Mighty Swell had previously trademarked the term “Keep it Weird” in relation to its hard seltzers. As a result, Weird Beverages was prohibited by the trademark court from using the word in relation to hard seltzers.