Mix Party

Mix Party was the work of three people. Stewart Terry and Andrew McDonald had been best friends since high school. Stewart's wife, Ellie Terry, was a direct selling industry veteran, and she helped convince them to go into business together. Stewart became CEO, Andrew chief operations officer, and Ellie president of sales and marketing. Their legal company was Mixoloseum, LLC, and the head office and distribution warehouse were in South San Francisco, California.

The company first traded as Mixoloseum in 2013. Its early site sold gourmet gift boxes, olive oils, vinegars and sparkling wines, and said it was only licensed to ship alcohol to California. Wine cocktails were marked “coming soon.” It invited people to join as 2013 Founding Mixologists. By mid-2014 the business had become Mix Party, with the tagline “Join the Cocktail Revolution.”

“We want to appeal to consumers who want something that's different and exclusive, yet still affordable.”

Stewart Terry, CEO — Mix Party website (mixparty.com), archived October 2014

By 2015 the company described itself as a pending applicant of the Direct Selling Association. It kept growing its state list for alcohol sales through 2016, when it was also promoting a 2017 incentive cruise for top sellers.

Mix Party had two product lines: drinks and gourmet food.

• Wine cocktails: flavors such as Vienna Coffee, Strawberry, Southern Oak, Melon Crush and Chocolate Coconut, in sizes from 100ml to 750ml. Buyers chose a bottle shape as well as the fill, from tapered bottles to novelty shapes.
• Bubbles: sparkling wines, including one with real 24-carat gold flakes.
• Gourmet: infused olive oils such as butter, garlic, jalapeño and lemon, flavored and caramelized balsamic vinegars such as Chocolate Marshmallow, and dukkah spice blends to mix with oil as a bread dip.
• Gift boxes: sets of cocktails and sparkling wine, or oils and vinegars.

Prices were modest. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed wine cocktails from $12 for the smallest bottle to $45 for the largest, sparkling wines from $20 to $30, and oils and vinegars from $11 to $30. Alcohol could only be shipped to adults aged 21 or over, with ID shown on delivery.

Sellers were called Mixologists, and parties were called Happy Hours. Before a cocktail Happy Hour, the host ordered a Party in a Box for $29.99. In 2016 it held six 187ml wine cocktails and two sparkling wines, a stated retail value of $154. The Mixologist brought display bottles, tasting cups and order forms. Gourmet Happy Hours did not need the box. Hosts earned product credit when at least two paying guests attended and party sales passed $250.

Where a Mixologist could sell depended on state alcohol law. In 2016 the company listed 25 states plus Washington, DC for cocktails and gourmet products, gourmet-only selling in most other states, and no Mixologists in Alaska, Hawaii, Montana or North Dakota.

Starter Kits

In 2013 Mixoloseum offered a Gourmet Basic Starter Kit for $149 and a Gourmet Deluxe Starter Kit for $249, both filled with oils, vinegars, dukkah and party supplies. By 2016 new Mixologists chose a Complete Kit or a Gourmet Deluxe Kit depending on their state. The old Direct Sales Aid profile described the Complete Business Kit at $199, with wine cocktails, sparkling wine, oils, vinegars and supplies valued at over $550.

Pay

A 2016 recruiting page from the company's field development manager advertised “up to 45% on your personal sales” plus team-building bonuses, prizes, trips and incentives. The old Direct Sales Aid profile said commission started at 25%, with a further bonus of up to 5% on team sales. The full plan was not preserved, so these figures cannot be checked against it.

Mix Party never published a closure notice that we could find, and no public reason was given. The Wayback Machine shows the company website working through November 4, 2016, and a Mixologist's personal Mix Party site still loading on November 14, 2016. After that the archive has no new working copy of the site. By August 7, 2018, mixparty.com redirected to a HugeDomains page offering the domain for sale, and it was still listed for sale in July 2025.

An earlier version of this profile said Mix Party closed in May 2015. The archived site shows it was still selling and recruiting well into 2016, so that date was wrong. Former Mixologists can no longer order products, and there is no successor brand. If you liked the tasting-party idea, browse live companies in the food and cooking category on Direct Sales Aid, such as Pampered Chef.