Listen to the Coffee Think Tank Podcast, a show about trends, ideas, and innovations in coffee, on: Apple, Spotify, YouTube.
And a big thanks to this season’s sponsor, SumUp, a modern point of sale and loyalty system for cafes.
If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that everyone with a million followers is suddenly a beverage entrepreneur. We’ve seen energy drinks named after gaming teams, protein shakes endorsed by fitness influencers, and coffee brands co-signed by popular TikTokers, actors, and musicians.
Within coffee alone, celebrities including Emma Chamberlain, Tom Hanks, Green Day, Millie Bobby Brown, Jimmy Butler, Hugh Jackman, and Robert Downey Jr. have all dabbled with their own brands. It goes on and on—and I suspect it’s still early days for creator-led coffee.
That’s why I wanted to talk with Danny Wright, the founder and CEO of the U.K.-based COLLAB Coffee. Wright is the guy who basically figured out how to make this whole creator-coffee thing work. Today, COLLAB is the coffee manufacturing and operational partner for a growing list of celebrity coffee brands, including Florence by Mills Coffee by Millie Bobby Brown and SIDES Coffee by The Sidemen.
As that partner, COLLAB handles everything from brand strategy and coffee sourcing and manufacturing (including beans, RTDs, concentrates, etc) to sales and marketing and logistics. It’s an attractive model for creators who want to build a brand, but would prefer to leave it in the hands of a savvy operator who can see the big picture. As a result, COLLAB is seeing the kind of growth numbers—2,000% projected growth from 2024 to 2025—that make you wonder if you’ve been thinking about this business all wrong.
In today’s episode, Wright and I talk dealmaking, beverage R&D, marketing, and getting into Walmart. We also go deep on topics ranging from concentrates and nootropics to AI. If you’re curious how creator and other licensing partnerships work, this wide-ranging episode is a must-listen.
What You’ll Learn:
- How COLLAB evolved from local coffee marketing to partnering with A-list celebrities and major brands
- The seven-point system Wright uses to evaluate potential creator partnerships—and why follower count isn’t everything
- How creator-led brands can get into major retailers like Walmart and Tesco within months of launch
- The deal structures that work best for creator partnerships, from licensing to joint ventures
- Why concentrates are becoming a major focus, and how COLLAB is innovating in home delivery
- The role of AI in operations, alongside authentic creator content
- How COLLAB balances accessibility and quality while building brands for long-term success
My Key Takeaways:
Community-Driven Partnerships Beat Vanity Metrics
There’s no shortage of high-follower-count creators who want their own coffee brands, but for Wright and COLLAB, it’s about finding the right partner. And follower count is not the most important metric they use to make those decisions.
Instead, COLLAB uses a seven-point system that tracks engagement, media presence, previous consumer packaged goods experience, and—crucially—how engaged the creator will be in actually building the brand.
“We’re not a company that just slaps a brand on a bag of coffee and just hopes it sells,” Wright said. “We want to build long-term brands and we want them to be, you know, 10 years’ time sitting alongside the likes of Starbucks, Costas and all that sort of thing.”
The most successful partnerships happen when creators are genuinely invested—both financially and personally—in the product development process. Wright noted that 95% of partners go “above and beyond” their contractual commitments because they have skin in the game. But the real magic happens when creators come with engaged communities that become part of the brand experience.
“That’s the exciting thing about sort of launching with a celebrity or an influencer. They come with a community,” Wright said. “So it’s then not about how that community comes about. It’s about how you manage that community, how you understand that community, and what you give to them.”
This community-first approach has helped Florence by Mills Coffee create an “inner circle” of customers who essentially became part of their brand experience team, providing feedback on new flavors and serving as vocal advocates—something that doesn’t show up on spreadsheets but drives long-term success.
Celebrity Backing Is Something of a Cheat Code
Getting into a regional grocery store is hard. Getting into Walmart is nearly impossible. And yet, Wright talked about how they were able to expand into nationwide Walmart locations within one year of starting Florence by Mills Coffee. That’s because they had a great cheat code: the backing of “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown.
“There aren’t many brands that from launch got into Walmart within 10 months,” Wright said. “Like that doesn’t happen.”
The COLLAB team may have had a shortcut to get in the door at Walmart and other retailers, but there’s no cheat code for executing on those relationships well. It takes a significant amount of upfront investment in distribution and cashflow management to get those supply chains moving, especially on such a tight timeframe.
The key insight is that celebrity backing gets you in the room, but you still need a comprehensive marketing strategy tailored to each specific retailer. Generic pitch decks don’t work when you’re trying to convince buyers to allocate precious shelf space.
It’s Time To Get Excited About Concentrates, Protein, and Other Additives
I’ve been bullish on coffee concentrates for some time, and Wright was right there with me. COLLAB is preparing to roll out a range of concentrate products for Florence by Mills that are sleek, delivery-friendly bottles providing 47 servings each. He’s highly confident that their convenience and flexibility will encourage the brand’s customer base to enjoy Florence by Mills coffee daily.
“If you can get concentrate working at home, yeah, I think that’s where it is,” Wright said, positioning concentrates as primarily a home product while RTDs dominate the grab-and-go retail space.
But concentrates are just one piece of a larger innovation puzzle. Looking ahead, Wright sees significant opportunities in enhanced coffee products—nootropics for focus, protein additions, and other functional ingredients that go beyond caffeine. He’s particularly excited about making coffee more accessible at lower price points, and noted that COLLAB’s RTD products are currently the lowest-priced option on Walmart shelves.
Where To Find Danny Wright:
- Collab Coffee’s website: wearecollab.com
- Follow Wright on LinkedIn: @dannywrightcollab
Mentioned in the Episode:
- Florence by Mills by Millie Bobby Brown (celebrity coffee brand)
- SIDES by The Sidemen (YouTube group coffee brand)
- Fitness Marshall/Zappi (fitness YouTuber coffee brand)
- Beverage Forum (US event coming to UK)
