The Weekly Sip is Food Dive’s column focused on the latest news in the rapidly changing and growing beverage sector. From inaugural product lines to big investments and controversial topics, this column aims to quench the thirst for developments in the category.
Beyoncé enters the alcohol arena with Moët Hennessy
Beyoncé is teaming up with a luxury spirits giant on a whisky that calls attention to a little-known part of her familial history.
SirDavis, launched alongside LVMH subsidiary Moët Hennessy, is a new whisky product from the star. According to the press release, Beyoncé is a fan of Japanese whisky, and she wanted to create a product of her own.
The brand is named after Beyoncé’s great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, who was a moonshiner during Prohibition in the South. He stashed whisky bottles in the empty knots of cedar trees to be found by other people.
“When I discovered that my great-grandfather had been a moonshine man, it felt like my love for whisky was fated,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “In partnering with Moët Hennessy, we have crafted a delicious American whisky that respects tradition but also empowers people to experience something new and unique in the category.”
The whisky is comprised of 51% rye and 49% malted barley, the LVMH subsidiary said.
The alcohol giant anonymously submitted SirDavis into several spirits competitions before its launch. According to the press release, it won Best In Class for American Whiskey at the 2023 SIP Awards and a Gold Medal in the 2023 New York International Spirits Competition.
SirDavis is also Moët Hennessy’s first offering developed fully in the U.S.
It’s not the first time the singer has stepped into the world of beverages. In 2022, Knowles-Carter was a leading investor in water brand Lemon Perfect’s $31 million Series A funding round.
Alcohol products associated with famous people are a way to grow the celebrity’s empire and give the beverage producer a built-in audience to tap into. In recent years, George Clooney’s Casamigos, Ryan Reynolds’s Aviation gin and Kendall Jenner’s 818 tequila have each established a footing in the spirits world.
— Chris Casey
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Courtesy of Dunkin’
Dunkin’ pumps up pumpkin spice
Dunkin’ is bringing its popular Spiked Iced Coffees into another hot trend: Pumpkin Spice.
The launch comes a year after the brand launched Spiked Iced Coffees and Spiked Iced Teas, which were first released in 13 states in August 2023 as a spin on classic Dunkin’ beverages. Since then, the offering has more than doubled its retail footprint to 27 states.
“As one of our most highly anticipated seasonal offerings, Pumpkin Spice Latte has become a staple amid everyone’s favorite cozy season,” Brian Gilbert, vice president of retail business development at Dunkin’, said in a statement. “We knew we had an opportunity to create something special with an adult twist on the beloved beverage.”
The Dunkin’ Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte is described as a “rich, creamy and deliciously decadent drink with the perfect balance of sweet pumpkin, vanilla and fall spice flavors.” Dunkin’ said the ready-to-drink spiked offering will allow consumers to tap into a popular fall flavor in a convenient format. Each can has an alcohol-by-volume content of 6%.
Spending on pumpkin products at retail during the past year totaled $816.9 million between August 2023 to July 2024, according to consumer tracking data from market research firm NIQ cited by USA Today. Spending has increased 33% from five years ago.
Today, pumpkin spice is found in everything from donuts, coffee and beer to creamers, cookies and candy.
— Christopher Doering
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Courtesy of Disco Disco Coffee
Upstart coffee brand wants to supplement adventurous travel
Newly launched coffee startup Disco Disco is debuting a unique product that makes drinking a cup of joe on the go easier.
Its coffee packets arrive in a compartment themed after vintage cigarette packaging. Each one contains a paper piece that attaches to a mug. Consumers then pour hot water onto it to let the coffee brew.
Founder Ellie Eckert, who previously founded a roasting company in 2018, told Food Dive in an interview the idea for the company was born from countless trips to hotels and airports where all that she wanted was a good cup of coffee. She reached her breaking point early this year on a remote trip when, frustrated by the lack of quality coffee options, she opted to order tea.
Eckert also noticed many coffee drinkers lugging around expensive equipment with them wherever they went.
“They had the whole bean bag of coffee, a grinder, an arrow press and the single-serve pour-over attachment,” Eckert said.
She added that convenient and instant coffee options on the market do not meet the quality desired by aficionados of the beverage.
“I wanted to really focus on creating a product that doesn’t compromise taste, quality or the coffee experience,” Eckert said.
She believes the product will win over coffee enthusiasts with its portable design. The El Salvador blend contains notes of milk chocolate, dulce de leche and pineapple.
The five-pack Disco Disco coffee packets are sold on the brand’s website for $25. The company plans to grow its following online before expanding into boutique shops and hotels in the future.
Eckert believes “fourth wave coffee” — which is focused on sustainability, increased quality and occasion demands — will be driven by consumers and not just coffeeshops.
“Single-serve pour-over, instant coffee. These casual, convenient options are what consumers are really going to start drinking and demanding more of,” she noted.
— Chris Casey