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Miles Teller joins Finnish Long Drink as co-owner

American actor Miles Teller is the latest celebrity to move into booze after joining canned pre-mixed producer The Long Drink Company as co-owner.

Whiplash actor Miles Teller will help The Long Drink Company expand its presence in the US

In Finland, ‘long drink’ (in Finnish lonkero) refers to a mixed drink made from gin and, most commonly, grapefruit soda. Bottled at 5.5% ABV, The Finnish Long Drink is described as a “refreshing, citrus soda with a premium liquor kick”.

The ‘long drink’ category is said to date back to 1952 in Helsinki, Finland, during the Summer Olympics. It was created as a solution to serving drinks quickly to visitors during the busy sporting event.

According to the brand, the Finnish ‘long drink’ was taken to the US for the first time last year by The Long Drink Company founders Ere Partanen, Sakari Manninen and Mikael Taipale, along with US entrepreneur Evan Burns.

The founders wanted the world “to experience the refreshing and unique Finnish Long Drink”.

While in New York City, Whiplash actor Teller was introduced to The Long Drink brand in spring 2018 during a tasting where he met Partanen and Manninen. Teller also has a mutual friend with Burns, who is chairman of The Long Drink Company.

Burns recalled: “We kept meeting up with Miles and brainstorming about how well the company was doing, what our plans were for the future and realised he was such a great fit for the team.

“Eventually, a plan was scratched out of having Miles become an owner and help lead in creative strategy, telling the story of long drink, and building key partnerships. We couldn’t be more excited about the future.”

As co-owner, Teller will help Long Drink as the firm “enters future markets in the months and years to come”.

The Long Drink Company plans to “rapidly expand” across the US, with distribution in several major states “on the horizon as discussions with national distribution partners continue”.

“I’m thrilled and honoured to join forces with Ere, Sakari, Mikael and Evan on this adventure and am excited for my upcoming trip to Finland to learn more about the origin of Long Drink,” said Teller. “Looking forward to bringing my love of Long Drink across the states.”

The Finnish Long Drink is widely available across New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Georgia and Connecticut. Online a six-pack of 12oz cans of The Finnish Long Drink is priced at US$15.99.

Most recently, The Finnish Long Drink introduced the low-calorie Finnish Long Drink Zero, which has 92 calories per 12oz can. The company plans to “introduce several new variants in the future”.

The Finnish Long Drink and its low-calorie variant have an ABV of 5.5%

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