Red Hot Chili Peppers leader enters coffee

The crowded coffee category has a new entrant from a prominent rockstar, with an aim to grow a following through sales at live music venues.

Anthony Kieidis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and friend Shane Powers have launched the ready-to-drink coffee brand Jolene. Initially, the brand will offer two varieties of its canned coffee: black cold brew and white oat milk latte.

Investors in the brand include touring giant Live Nation, Global Brand Equities and the H.Wood Group. The beverages will be sold at Live Nation’s theaters in 23 states along with music festivals. Russell Wallach, global president of the touring company, said the products will fulfill the growing demand for cold brew at concerts, as it fits “the pace and energy of live music.”

Jolene touted its sourcing as a selling point, announcing that the brand is buying coffee beans from an all-female co-op in Peru.

“Shane shouted at me down the sidewalk ‘Let’s do something!’” Kiedis said in the press release. “I shouted back ‘how ‘bout coffee’? He said ‘done’. And so began the adventure of putting a high-quality spin on a can of coffee.”

In addition to concert venues, the coffee products are available on the brand’s website.

Beverages like coffee have provided fertile ground for celebrities looking for a side hustle to generate cash and grow their brand recognition outside entertainment. Last year, actor Robert Downey Jr. launched Happy, a line of coffee in ground and canned RTD formats.

Bottled water maker hopes sales will sparkle with new seltzer

Crystal Geyser is hoping to translate its bottled water dominance into the seltzer category with a new sparkling water line.

CG Roxane, the brand’s owner, announced the launch of Crystal Geyser Sparkling Alpine Spring Water. The line arrives in five flavors: natural, cherry, lime, orange and lemon.

Charlotte de La Porte, vice president of marketing at CG Roxane, said in a statement that the drink is meant to “not only meet the evolving needs of our loyal customers but also attract new consumers who seek natural, quality beverage choices.”

The sparkling water is made with the spring water sourced from its facility in the mountains of New Hampshire. The brand also is promoting the sparkling water packaging as more sustainable than standard bottles of water, as it is made with 50% recycled PET plastic.

The sparkling water category, while still a popular alternative to sugary sodas, has slowed in recent years. Volumes of sparkling water dropped 4.9% and 3% in 2022 and 2023, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation. 

Newer launches have struggled to keep up with established brands, such as La Croix and Polar. In 2023, Coca-Cola stopped distributing its Aha sparkling water after a sharp decline in sales.

Crystal Geyser’s sparkling water, however, could benefit from the brand’s wide reach. According to the company, its flagship still water is the #1 domestic nationally distributed bottled spring water in the U.S., citing Circana data.

Campari pours nonalcoholic Italian spritzes for summer

Campari America, owner of Aperol, is capitalizing on the growing demand for spritz cocktails and nonalcoholic offerings as the weather gets warmer.

The beverage producer has launched Crodino, a nonalcoholic sparkling cocktail that was first launched in Italy in 1965. The drink has an “unmistakably bittersweet, bubbly flavor,” according to a release, and its ingredient profile includes clove, cardamom, nutmeg and coriander along with 10 additional spices and herbs.

Crodino is sold in four pack 5.95 fluid-ounce glass bottles. It will launch in select states, including California, Texas, Illinois and Maryland, before expanding into more markets.

“What’s been particularly exciting is how both consumers and our on-premise partners have embraced iconic Italian brands creating vibrant social experiences centered around the Spritz,” said Allison Varone, head of marketing for Campari America, in a statement.

Campari pointed to the growing popularity of alcohol-free drinks as a driving force behind the launch, referencing IWSR data in the press release that projected the category will be $5 billion by 2028.