Community Rallies Behind Local Foundation
By Emma Wolf
Bar2Table Co-founders, Scott Allen and Charlton Gronlund, share their story of starting their own premium canned cocktail business and expanding it to be sold in stores and gaining a loyal following along the way. In 2017, Scott Allen and Charlton Gronlund set out to create the perfect high-quality, ready-to-drink canned cocktail beverages. Fast forward to 2021 and the entrepreneur duo has developed their business, Bar2Table, so greatly that their Bloody Mary drink is now sold in 100+ stores in IL and 260+ stores in PA. It is also sold at local country clubs during the golf season. The company currently includes canned varieties of the popular cocktails- Bloody Mary (MaryCan), Tangerine Margarita (RitaCan), and Citrus Tonic (GinnyCan). The MaryCan Bloody Mary was their first product and it remains to be the most popular and highly requested one. As included in the company’s slogan, Allen and Gronlund wanted to emphasize the overarching goal of allowing customers to have their “anywhere table”-whether it be at a sporting event, at a birthday party, on the beach, or gathering at home with friends and family over good drinks. “It has taken four years to fine tune the quality and consistency that we wanted our product to have,” Gronlund said. “It had to be a process that we had to take our time with.”
“We work with partners who produce high-quality ingredients and take their time. Sourcing ingredients is a long process and this has to be a super high-quality beverage.”
After attending the Chicago Auto Show and watching crowds of 75-100 people wait in line for 35+ minutes to get a freshly-made Bloody Mary, Allen and Gronlund noticed that there was an absence of natural, high quality adult beverage options. Their beverages all include real vodka, tequila, gin, and tonic, as well as natural citrus flavors. Each one is ready-togo, without any mixing drinks involved, making it an easy and convenient alternative to making a cocktail at home. “This has to first and foremost be a super high-quality beverage. We work with partners who produce high-quality ingredients and take their time,” Allen said. “Sourcing ingredients is a long process and the Bloody Mary cocktail contains many ingredients.” Allen and Gronlund are very involved and hands-on during the process and like to be involved every step of the way. They source tomato juice for their Bloody Mary in the Chicagoland area and they have it canned in canning facilities in Wisconsin, and the two travel to Wisconsin to sample the beverage once it is canned.
Working with local partners enables the canned beverage company to include locally sourced ingredients while also supporting other small businesses. In the few years that they have been in business, Bar2Table has received tremendous customer feedback and continues to gain more popularity as it expands. “The validation from our customers is the best part,” Gronlund said. “The overall reception has been fantastic. We are very excited about the future of expansion.” With plans for expansion and more success in the future as the company gains more followers through social media (@therealbar2table) and from word-of-mouth recommendations, the only question left is which of the canned cocktails will you try first?
Additional information is available at Bar2Table.com
*Photos by FMR Photography
