U.K.-based functional beverage maker TRIP is teaming up with consumer mental health company Calm on a new co-branded product intended to promote relaxation and mental well-being.
The collaboration is timed to fuel an expansion of TRIP’s Mindful Blend collection in U.S. retailers. The 12 oz canned drinks are currently available in around 500 stores in the States via broadliners KeHe and UNFI, and are on track to be in a further 3,000 doors by April 2025. That expansion will be supported by a “multi-million dollar” marketing campaign, said TRIP co-founder Daniel Khoury.
Special edition cans of TRIP’s Cucumber Mint flavored will feature Calm’s logo on the front of the label. The sparkling drink is made with functional ingredients like Lion’s Mane, ashwagandha, L-theanine and 120 mg of magnesium per 12 oz. can, with 7 grams of sugar and 25 calories. Each can also has a QR code which directs consumers to Calm’s website and an offer for three free months of the company’s services.
Founded in 2012, Calm provides guided meditation and sleep aid videos, many featuring celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Harry Styles, through its app and website on a subscription basis.
“This new product is a game changer for Americans looking to make a healthier choice, without compromise on flavor or experience,” said TRIP co-founder Olivia Ferdi, who is married to Khory. “The ingredients deliver immediate functionality and by partnering with the Calm app we can also deliver tools for long term wellbeing benefits – building on our mission of helping people find calm in the everyday chaos.
For its part, TRIP is bringing on some star power of its own. Supermodel Ashley Graham and actor Paul Wesley – himself a beverage entrepreneur as a co-founder of Brother’s Bond Whiskey – have both joined the company as investors and ambassadors.
TRIP Drinks was founded in 2019 and makes a line of functional relaxation beverages also available in Raspberry Orange Blossom, Peach Ginger and Elderflower Mint flavors. The brand’s drinks are sold in the U.S. direct-to-consumer, through GoPuff, and in retail with chains like Erewhon, Bristol Farms and Mother’s Market. According to the company, its products are available through over 30,000 points of distribution across the U.S. and Europe.
Since entering the market during a surge in interest in CBD beverages, TRIP is part of an established cohort of independent brands – including names like Recess and VYBES – that have helped transcend the ingredient and create a broader “relaxation category.” Yet the disruptive arrival of hemp-derived THC drinks over the past 18 months has added another potential competitive set into the arena. Yet Khoury sees TRIP’s drinks, priced at under $3 each, as a challenger to traditional soda rather than cannabis.
“Consumers are looking for healthy alternatives to traditional soda and are excited by products that make them feel amazing – calming drinks is still a really new category, but it’s so exciting to see millions of people choose this new ‘category’ each year,” he said. “While there are some amazing brands out there, we don’t see them as competitors as our aim is to really grow the calm category and help a billion people find calm.”