Anna Sebastian joins Ellie Goulding’s hard seltzer brand

Served Hard Seltzer, co-owned by singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding, has named former Artesian bar manager Anna Sebastian as its head of brand.

Last week, Goulding acquired a ‘significant’ stake in the UK-based hard seltzer brand, which was co-founded by Dean and Ryan Ginsberg.

The company is now expanding its team with the new appointment of Sebastian, who managed the renowned bar in The Langham hotel for three years, and previously worked at the American Bar at The Savoy.

In her new role, she is tasked with bringing Served to the on-trade, as well as building its brand culture and sustainability strategy as the business grows.

Sebastian told The Spirits Business: “The ethos of the company is amazing and to have a chance to grow and develop it is amazing. Plus the drink is delicious and we give 5% of profits back to environmental causes.”

She added that she is excited by the hard seltzer category itself. “It’s creating this new wave of health conscious drinkers that like me enjoy a drink but still want to be highly productive the next day,” she explained.

Served is currently available throughout the UK in more than 1,000 stockists.

The hard seltzer category has experienced major success in the past year, growing by 130% in 2020, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. The alcoholic sparkling water has led the boom in ready-to-drink (RTD) products, which is now set to become the second-biggest-selling alcohol beverage category in the US.

Hard seltzers currently have a 56.7% market share of the RTD category in the States, and are increasingly gaining traction in the UK.