Mazu Group quits

The start-up for low-calorie alcoholic drinks was dissolved at the beginning of August. It relied on the US trend drink Hard Seltzer.

The start-up Mazu Hard Seltzer actually wanted to capitalize on the hype surrounding the Hard Seltzer drink from the USA. However, the start-up has now been dissolved since the beginning of August. According to the company, which was founded in 2020, the reason for this is a new customs classification for the alcoholic sparkling water. According to the start-up, the customs authorities decided to classify the drink under customs tariff number 2208 with effect from January 1. However, this involved too many complexities for the start-up, such as setting up a lockable alcohol tax warehouse. The decision was therefore made to liquidate the company and not to rebuild it operationally.

At the end of 2020, Mazu launched its first drink on the market: "Lime" flavor, five percent alcohol by volume and 100 kilocalories per can. The start-up wanted to offer a "contemporary alternative to oversweetened long drinks and high-calorie beers and wines", as Drinks News reported.

The hard seltzer drink category has become popular in the USA, particularly among millennials and Gen-Zers who want to avoid calorie-laden drinks such as beer, but not the alcoholic rush that goes with it.

Mazu founders Jonathan Georg, Moritz Groppel and Björn Thieme also recognized the potential for the German market and received financial support from Berlin venture capitalist Liberty Ventures, as German Start-ups reported.

In 2020, the company was not overindebted, as the annual financial statements in the Bundeszeiger show. For almost 35,000 euros in equity, there were just under 5,000 euros in liabilities. The remaining shareholder assets are paid out to the shareholders.

Editor's note: In a previous version of the article, we had incorrectly written that the Mazu Group was insolvent and that this was the reason for the business issue. We have now amended the article and apologize.