Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr., known for their iconic superhero roles, are uniting once again; however, this time the partnership is off-screen, featuring both celebrities’ beverage startups.
The latest collaboration brings together Holland’s non-alcoholic beer brand Bero and Downey Jr.’s slow-roasted coffee business Happy Coffee with two limited-edition offerings: Bero Coffee Draught & Happy Eternal Hoptimist ground coffee.
The partnership endeavors to “bridge beer and coffee traditions” while also celebrating the two friends’ decade-long friendship.
“This is the kind of collaboration you can only do with a friend,” Holland said in a statement.
The Bero Coffee Draught features a lightly caffeinated (5 mg) nitrogen-infused stout-style beer under 0.5% ABV that is meant to evoke the character of Happy Coffee’s signature product. The Eternal Hoptimist blend takes its inspiration from Bero’s hops with 100% arabica coffee sourced from Brazil and Colombia.
“Robert knows coffee better than anyone, and we wanted to bring that same level of care to a beer that celebrates what both our brands stand for: quality, craft, and a premium experience in every sip,” said Holland.
Both products are available online or exclusively in-store at select Target locations.
Beverages Are Booming
The timing for this opportunity is ideal. Both innovations unite the booming coffee market with the budding non-alcoholic trend.
As a market, beverages are doing great: in the last 52 weeks ending Sept. 28, dollar sales are up 4.7% while unit sales increased 1.3%, according to data sourced from Circana. This is happening while consumers are looking for ways to stretch their food budgets, indicating the relatively inelastic price sensitivity of the category.
Moreover, both products innovate in the functional beverage space, with Bero’s product contributing to the growing non-alcoholic movement and Downey Jr.’s coffee contributing to coffee/energy drink sales.
The fact is younger generations are thinking about beverages differently, participating in zebra striping, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, or foregoing drinking all together.
“In my generation, Gen X, you’d often say you were going out for a night to forget. Well, not Gen Z. It’s about having a night to remember,” said Barry Thomas, senior global thought leader for Kantar, during a webinar on the topic earlier this year.
Research from IWSR found that Gen Z consumes roughly 20% less alcohol than Millennials, who are also stepping down their alcohol consumption.
On the coffee side, data from the National Coffee Association suggests that consumers are continuing to participate deeply in the category despite year-over-year government data showing a 20.9% increase in coffee prices in August. In fact, 48% of American adults drink specialty coffee daily, up from 37% in 2021.
The New Currency – Star Power
Limited-time offers have gradually become a touchstone of today’s CPG playbook.
Liquid Death is one clear example with collaborations with late musician Ozzy Osbourne and actor Peter Dinklage. Additionally, Cava launched a successful social media campaign with influencer Emma Chamberlain aimed at earning cultural cachet, resonating with Gen Z consumers.
“[Gen Z] wants to feel like a brand gets them – their humor, their trends, their taste buds. And when they do? That’s when one-time visitors become loyal fans,” Rubix Foods VP of marketing Shannon O’Shields told The Food Institute in a monthly report on the topic.
She discussed how the phenomenon relates to foodservice, but the lesson is equally applicable to CPG purchases because today’s shoppers crave unique, meaningful experiences that can connect them to larger cultural movements.
So, what does a CPG already backed by a celebrity do to cash out? Get another celebrity in the mix.
Holland and Downey Jr.’s collaboration is likely to strike a chord with audiences because it’s founded upon a palpable authenticity, as social media and pop culture have long highlighted the duo’s friendship. Plus, it’s likely to get Marvel fans to try out both segments, potentially converting them into brand ambassadors.
Food for Thought Leadership
In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, The Food Institute’s Rebecca Fryer sits down with Dr. Deepali Palta, vice president of Global R&D, Innovation, and Sustainability at Kellanova, for a deep dive into the science, strategy, and spirit driving the next generation of food innovation.
