How BuzzBallz Drinks Went From A Fun Side Hustle To $400 Million Fortune

Former public school teacher Merrilee Kick now ranks among America’s richest self-made women after selling her popular ready-to-drink cocktail business in May.By Chloe Sorvino, Forbes StaffBrightly colored, plastic spheres filled with pre-mixed drinks with names like “Cran Blaster” and “Forbidden Apple” are packed onto thousands of shelves across America, from supermarkets to gas stations. BuzzBallz, as these ready-to-drink cocktails are known, started as a side hustle and has transformed into one of the biggest brands in the $2 billion industry.“I’ve been living in the American Dream,” says BuzzBallz founder and CEO Merrilee Kick. “We’ve built a legacy. We’ve become a contender in a space where women never went.”In 14 years since she founded the brand, Kick has built BuzzBallz into an alcohol industry powerhouse. In addition to distribution across the United States, the brand is now sold in 29 countries with annual revenue that Forbes estimates is roughly $500 million.The 61-year-old...