From Post Malone’s French Riviera rosé release last summer to Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand, 818, product launch last month, it seems like every celebrity is jumping on the spirit brand bandwagon. With the list of celebrity-endorsed alcohol brands seemingly going on forever, it is no surprise that Travis Scott is the latest celeb to take the plunge.
The Astroworld singer partnered with Anheuser-Busch, the company responsible for the most popular beer brands in the United States, to make the new brand of agave-spiked seltzers, CACTI. The hard seltzer brand was officially announced in December but did not launch until Monday, March 15. Consumers got a first look at the hard-seltzer brand in a commercial during the 2021 Grammys.
“CACTI is something I’m really proud of and have put a ton of work into. Me and the team really went in, not only on getting the flavor right, but on thousands of creative protos on everything from the actual beverage, to the can concept, to the packaging and how it is presented to the world,” says Travis Scott. “We always try to convey a feeling in our products. I’m a big fan of tequila so I came at it from that angle, too. I’m really excited to put this out in 2021 and see other people be able to enjoy it.”
CACTI, named after Scott’s record label and his personal nickname, Cactus Jack, is made with 100% premium blue weber agave and has 7% ABV per can. The newly released seltzer currently comes in three flavors; lime, pineapple, and strawberry, and is available for purchase in three sizes; 12-ounce, 16-ounce, and 25-ounce.
“We are all about delivering what consumers want, and as a culture-shaping artist, Scott is incredibly connected to his fans and what’s next and next in culture,” said the President of Beyond Beet at Anheuser-Busch, Fabricio Zonzini.
Beer has always dominated the RTD alcoholic beverage industry, but once hard seltzers came on the scene, they were pushed to second place. White Claw, Truly, and Bon & Viv outsold the top six beer brands (Coors, Coors Light, Miller, Miller Lite, Bud Light, and Budweiser) in August of last year. Many companies have seen the enormous consumer demand for hard seltzers and tried to capitalize on it by making their own including, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, and Molson Coors.
The motivation for the 28-year-old rapper’s hard seltzer launch seems to be about more than just his love for tequila. Hard seltzers in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category are a $3 billion industry expected to be worth $14.5 billion by 2027. In September of 2020, McDonald’s revealed that as part of a month-long special they would be adding a Travis Scott Meal along with a ‘Cactus Jack + McDonald’s’ merchandise line in collaboration with the rapper. The collaboration was so popular that it led to worldwide ingredient shortages. The father of Stormi earned $5 million from his McDonald’s endorsement deal along with an additional $15 million from merchandise sales. If the Travis Scott/ McDonald’s collaboration is any indication of the success of CACTI, the hot new brand is a guaranteed hit.
Find out which of your local stores sell CACTI hard seltzers here.
