The Duchess of Sussex made headlines when she and Prince Harry announced their independence from the Royal Family in early 2020. Her investment in the vegan coffee start-up, Clevr Blends, is the first business headline we’ve seen her in since her move. Meghan Markle confirmed her investment by handing over an undisclosed amount to the brand, “in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.”
Co-Founder and CEO Hannah Mendoza talks about how Meghan Markle’s involvement helped amplify the brand, saying “Entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need advisers who care deeply about what they are building. I’m grateful to have found both in the Duchess of Sussex,” in a statement to Fortune.
Clevr Blends is a “woman-led, mission driven wellness company,” making instant oat milk lattes in Matcha, Chai, Coffee, and Golden flavors. The lattes are packed with probiotics, adaptogens, and other nutritious ingredients. The brand started as a pop-up coffee bar in Santa Barbara in 2017, and has since transitioned into a superdrink brand that’s fitting of the times. It has no added sugar and is very easy to prepare—just add water!
It’s one of the most talked about coffee brands on social media, a special feat for a vegan coffee brand. A ZenBusiness look at the coffee industry shows that coffee businesses bring in about $50.7 billion per year, with 83% of Americans drinking coffee—and now a vegan name is climbing up the ranks. With continued COVID-19 restrictions keeping coffee shops closed, easy-to-prepare specialty coffee, like Clevr Blends’ oat milk-based lattes, have risen in popularity. However, the brand really got catapulted into internet fame when reality star Kim Kardashian posted an Instagram story of the hamper she received filled with packets of Clevr Blends coffee. She also tagged Stacey Bendet, designer of Alice + Olivia fashion, in the post.
With more than 195 million followers, Kardashian is one of Instagram’s biggest influencers, and a product mention from her has a wider reach than most marketing efforts. Vegan brands have looked to influencer marketing time and again, similar to the Vegan Meal Train initiative with Alicia Silverstone and Ryback Reeves, to get word out. In the same month as the Kardashian Instagram story, Oprah also recorded a video thanking Meghan Markle for a generous gift of Clevr Blends lattes.
Put Markle, Kardashian, and Oprah together, and you’ve got three of the biggest female names on the planet supporting this brand—a huge step for the vegan community!
Written by Allyson Asia Brickman
Exclusive for vegworldmag.com
