SEATTLE, Wash.— Novo Fogo, an award-winning producer of Brazilian cachaças, is announcing new additions to its line of USDA-certified organic beverages: two varieties of alcohol-free, canned mate tea. The drinks are playfully named ENERGIA, as homage to the hit song of the same name by SOFI TUKKER, Novo Fogo’s co-owners and global brand ambassadors. The sparkling organic mate teas arrive in two tropical releases: Original (clean mate tea with subtle notes of vanilla) and Passion Fruit (bright, punchy, and balanced). Both are packaged in colorful 12-oz cans inspired by SOFI TUKKER artistry and contain 42 -71 mg of natural caffeine, for a light mood lift. Featuring 15 calories for the Original and 30 calories for the Passion Fruit, the Energia drinks appeal to the ultra-healthy while also offering full ingredient flavor.
As Novo Fogo’s first offering of non-alcoholic beverages, ENERGIA completes the harmony of its partnership with SOFI TUKKER. The multi-Grammy-nominated dance music group is eponymously composed of Tucker Halpern, who claims the Passion Fruit Caipirinha as his favorite cocktail, and Sophie Hawley-Weld, an avid tea drinker and life of the party who chooses an alcohol-free lifestyle. In August 2023, Novo Fogo released DRINKEE, a Passion Fruit Cachaça developed by Tucker with the Novo Fogo distillation team; today’s ENERGIA release represents Sophie’s active engagement in product development and brand growth.
The ENERGIA mate teas were designed to extend the inclusive nature of Novo Fogo’s product offering. As organic, all-natural plant elixirs that evoke the convivial mate tea culture of southern Brazil, the ENERGIA drinks were created for healthy people who like to have a good time, and who can now find exhilaration with a clean, non-alcoholic drink from the Brazilian beverage producer. Sophie says: “I love to be in environments where people are enjoying all kinds of drinks. Even though I’m not drinking alcohol, I’m still at the party, having the time of my life. I’d like everyone to feel welcome, whether they enjoy alcohol or not, to stay up and be themselves while dancing with us.”
Novo Fogo and SOFI TUKKER developed the ENERGIA mate teas to be enjoyed directly from the chilled can for a healthy refresher, but they also shine when mixed into a 2-part highball with DRINKEE Passion Fruit Cachaça. Just like Sophie and Tucker themselves, these are delightful drinks individually, but even better together; the highball is dubbed the “Best Friend,” after another SOFI TUKKER hit song. Use the Original ENERGIA tea with DRINKEE for an evening of melodic personality like a bossa nova tune, or the Passion Fruit tea with DRINKEE for a bouncier drink, resembling a boisterous samba circle.
“We found ourselves personally enjoying the space between alcohol and non-alcohol,” says Novo Fogo’s CEO and founder, Dragos Axinte, “and we feel that it’s a good place to take the brand. As long as you’re moderating, wellness is whatever makes you feel balanced; that may be as simple as finding joy in a cocktail today and taking a break from alcohol tomorrow.” The company has always been motivated by the opportunity to introduce a wellness mentality to the liquor trade, while remaining culturally genuine to its southern Brazilian roots. “The Novo Fogo family has always consumed copious amounts of mate tea, so it’s thrilling to share another part of our lifestyle with our fans.”
Like all Novo Fogo’s handcrafted Brazilian products, ENERGIA is an emissary of Brazilian culture and rainforest conservation, and a symbol for the shared values that connected Novo Fogo and SOFI TUKKER in the first place. The music duo says of the partnership: “We have a lot in common with Novo Fogo – we share a core love of Brazil, fun, and environmentalism. This partnership works because Novo Fogo is so much more than cachaça and spirits; they promote a balanced lifestyle and are a powerful rainforest preservation steward, and we’re enthusiastic participants in the reforestation project The Un-Endangered Forest™. When you drink Novo Fogo’s cachaça and mate teas, you’re also helping to restore threatened tree species in the Brazilian rainforest!”
Novo Fogo ENERGIA is sold to distributors nationwide by 375 Park Avenue Spirits and also directly from novofogo.com.
About Novo Fogo
A passionate advocate for sustainable practices in the spirits industry, Novo Fogo is a carbon-negative company that produces USDA-certified 100% organic cachaças at its zero-waste distillery in the heart of Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest. Its production methods prioritize human and environmental sustainability; the company is proud of its all-female distiller team and its legacy reforestation project, The Un-Endangered Forest™, which seeks to restore 47 species of threatened native trees. Extending this ethos to its cocktail audience, Novo Fogo has been a trailblazer for sponsoring health and wellness initiatives for spirit industry members. The company’s product line intersects traditional Brazilian culture with modern cocktail trends of healthier drinking, such as non-alc and low-alc, low carbs, and low calories. Seeking to build a business that can last 100 years, Novo Fogo has partnered with multi-Grammy-nominated global dance music duo SOFI TUKKER to foster increased awareness towards its brand of conscientious capitalism.
About Sofi Tukker
The GRAMMY-nominated duo comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern has amassed over a billion streams, and Platinum and Gold records on five continents. With their two studio albums, Treehouse and Wet Tennis, and subsequent singles they offer an inclusive and global perspective on electronic music featuring themes of liberation, unity, and self-empowerment. The band lit up festival stages in 2023 with appearances at Coachella, Governor’s Ball, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo among others. Rolling Stone raved about their “explosive, surging finish that left everyone amped,” while Entertainment Weekly called them “electrifying.” FLOOD discussed their “free-flowing exchange of ideas, eclectic influences, and unrelenting sonic experimentation” in this cover story. Sharing a mutual love of fashion, SOFI TUKKER launched their own clothing imprint WET TENNIS, and were the face of G-STAR RAW’s colorful denim campaign. Dedicated activists, they’ve worked with multiple organizations over the years including Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, the March for Our Lives and the Red Cross, among others. Other recent output from SOFI TUKKER includes their disco-inspired pop/dance collab with The Knocks, “One on One,” and “Veneno,” with Brazilian artists Mari Merenda and Sophia Ardessore that encapsulates their love of all-things Brazilian. They also were behind inspired remixes of GRAMMY-winning Jon Batiste’s “Worship” from the acclaimed album World Music Radio, and AIMMIA’s debut track “Group Therapy.” “Jacaré,” features their trademark, distinctive danceable sound and has racked up over 10M streams.
For More Information:
https://novofogo.com/