New York (CNN Business) This was the summer of White Claw. The hard seltzer brand's sales projections prove it.

Sales of White Claw, owned by alcoholic beverage company Mark Anthony Brands, will surpass $1.5 billion this year, according to Sanjiv Gajiwala, the company's senior vice president of marketing. In a recent panel discussion for "The Table," a closed-door event series produced by CNN Business, Gajiwala told Innovation Correspondent Rachel Crane that he predicts the overall category will make between $2 billion to $2.5 billion, with White Claw having about a 60% share. Nielsen estimated in July that hard seltzer sales surged 200% from the year prior.

Gajiwala said the company is betting hard seltzer sales will continue to grow.

"I think there are core trends that consumers are engaging in, which are about mindfulness or understanding what they're putting in their body. They want convenience, they want premium and they want flavor and variety," Gajiwala said. "White Claw does all of those things."

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Gajiwala joined the fourth installment of "The Table," along with David Heath, co-founder and CEO of sock startup Bombas, and Monica Royer, founder and CEO of children's organic clothing brand Monica + Andy. These companies were founded in 2013 or later and represent a class of brands that have successfully appealed to the new consumer mindset.

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