Tom Holland probably isn’t toasting his recent engagement with champagne. Instead, the actor’s non-alcoholic brew brand, Bero, seems to be a likelier choice—and if we somehow get invited to the royal wedding, we’ll be sure to investigate how he and Zendaya are stocking the bar.
Holland is one of the most recent celebrities behind non-alcoholic beverage brands, following in the footsteps of Bella Hadid’s Kin Euphorics, Katy Perry’s De Soi, and Blake Lively’s Betty Buzz (though there is also a boozy version, called Betty Booze). It’s a marked pivot from A-listers of yore who in the past threw their might behind alcohol brands, á la George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila or Ryan Reynolds’s Aviation gin.
Bethenny Frankel, most well-known as a cast member on The Real Housewives of New York City, is no stranger to the beverage industry, either. She founded Skinnygirl Margarita back in 2009, and now she’s taking her libations expertise to the non-alcoholic sector as both an investor and spokesperson for Mingle Mocktails.
Though Laura Taylor, founder of Mingle Mocktails, “eats, drinks, sleeps, breathes this whole space,” she sees a partnership with Frankel as an opportunity to take Mingle to the next level.
“On my vision board, I have Bethenny Frankel images twice,” Taylor told Marketing Brew. “Why would I not leverage the success she’s had in business in my own?”
Parallel partners
Business in the NA space is booming. The global non-alcoholic liquors and mocktail market was valued at $6.16 billion in 2023, and is projected to more than double to $12.79 billion by 2032, according to market research company Market Research Future.
About four years ago, Mingle, which was founded in 2017, began looking for a celebrity partnership—but Taylor said it went beyond finding a famous face to partner with the brand. She had previously explored opportunities with other celebrities, Taylor said, but decided they weren’t the right long-term fit.
“Personally, I put great importance into entrusting my brand with anyone, and if it’s a celebrity, there must be a direct alignment from a personal and professional standpoint,” she said. Then, a TikTok video from Frankel that Taylor described as coming “out of nowhere” sealed the deal.
“Bethenny had done a TikTok review of three non-alcoholic products,” Taylor recalled. “One of them was the Mingle Cucumber Melon Mojito, and thank goodness that the review was very positive. So I took that as my gut told me I should reach out to her team, and that’s what I did.”
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After some discussion, Taylor said that she and Frankel’s team felt “there was something there.” And more importantly, Taylor had always been inspired by Frankel’s business sense—namely, with her own beverage business, Skinnygirl Margarita.
“She was an absolute disrupter,” Taylor said. “With Skinnygirl, she demonstrated success in business. She has a strong social presence with our demographic. And I think most of all, I loved her honesty.”
Star power
One might think that the face and founder of an alcoholic brand like Skinnygirl would be at odds with the core purpose of a non-alcoholic brand like Mingle. But Taylor said she views Skinnygirl as just one step of Frankel’s business journey—a journey that is now tied to Mingle’s, as well.
“She saw a gap in the marketplace, filled it at the best time ever, and sold it at the peak of the market, so I would argue that I want to do what she did in the non-alc space,” Taylor said. “I like that people make that connection because they’re, like, ‘Oh, this makes sense. She did this for alc, she can do this for non-alc.”
Beyond that, Taylor said that Frankel’s audience aligns with Mingle’s core demographic of women ages 25 and older (though the brand is also looking to expand its reach towards Gen Z). When it comes to promoting Mingle on her social media, Taylor said she lets Frankel take the lead.
“What I encourage her to do is incorporate Mingle in her lifestyle, and when she’s moved to talk about what a great product it is, I want her to do that,” Taylor said. “I let her do her thing, and I’ve learned that works best on social media.”
Frankel’s celebrity and business status have also helped Mingle land itself in more retailers, according to Taylor, who said Frankel’s credibility helps validate to retailers that the brand is “a safe bet.”
Frankel, Taylor said, “gives us the extra oomph that separates us from other brands.”
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