Has the soda renaissance come for espresso? The founders of media platform Refinery29 are betting on it with their new beverage venture, Esspo.
Co-founders Phillippe von Borries, Katharine Leitch, and Justin Stefano revealed their new project this week, pitching Esspo as a shelf-stable espresso tonic that “sips like a soda” and “caffeinates like a cold brew.” Each of the three initial flavors — Cherry Vanilla, Classic Vanilla and Sweet Lemon – delivers 120mg of caffeine and 240mg of L-Theanine per 12 oz. can, with around 45 calories each.
The drink is sweetened with blue agave nectar and monk fruit extract, with 7 grams of added sugar in each can. Each SKU is available in 12-packs, or in a variety pack, on the brand’s website and TikTok Shop for $43.99 plus shipping.
Born in Brooklyn in 2005, Refinery29 emerged as an influential, independent media platform during the peak years of ad-supported media, with content tailored around fashion and later expanding into other areas. The company was acquired by Vice Media in a mostly stock transaction in 2019, and is now part of the portfolio at Sundial Media Group.
“We’ve always been brand first people. Even in media,” von Borries told Feed Me, a newsletter covering business culture. “That’s always been a core motivation and a core orientation. The interesting thing about CPG is that while the product has to be amazing, so much of it is in the storytelling and how you get people to be excited about your product. So we saw a big miss in coffee — it’s kind of a brown, stale, forgettable shelf. No fun. No innovation.”
In an Instagram post, Von Borries recalled how he recognized a gap in the market for Esspo.
“The gap found me before I found it. I remember the exact moment I tried my first espresso tonic — light, bubbly, cold, caffeinated — and felt something click into place I didn’t know was missing,” he wrote.
Further experiences cemented his belief that the market demanded “not just another afternoon energy option, but a genuinely delicious, socially shareable drink that makes the middle of the day feel like something worth savoring.”
“I’d been improvising at home for years — loving the creative madness of it — but you can’t do mixology every afternoon,” he wrote.” You don’t realize how unsatisfied you are with your options until something better lands in your hand. That’s what we’re building Esspo to be: the thing you didn’t know you were missing until the first sip.”
Carbonated coffee drinks have appeared on the market before, coming from brands like Stumptown, VIVIC, High Brew and even Coca-Cola.