Ellie Goulding performing live. Photo Credit: Tuomas Vitikainen
Singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding has officially acquired an ownership stake in London-headquartered hard seltzer company Served.
The 34-year-old “Lights” creator Ellie Goulding just recently revealed that she’d purchased a controlling interest in Served, which brothers Ryan and Dean Ginsberg founded in 2019. “Mutual friends” introduced Goulding to the company’s founders, according to a release announcing the acquisition, and she “immediately fell in love with the brand.”
“I’ve always enjoyed a social drink with friends, but I also lead a busy lifestyle and I am passionate about my health, fitness, and the environment,” the one-time Grammy nominee Goulding said of the hard seltzer’s appeal. “Served is a brand that allows me to have it all – a delicious and refreshing alcoholic drink without all the calories, sugar and bad stuff.”
On this front, Served is packaged in “fully recyclable cans,” whereas the beverage itself is crafted in Goulding’s native Herefordshire, using “wonky fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste,” according to the release. Additionally, the 57-calorie, sugar-free drink contains “no artificial additives or sweeteners,” per the same source, and five percent “of profits from each can sold are invested towards environmental projects and saving critically endangered species.”
The financial terms of Goulding’s Served investment haven’t been publicly disclosed, and the product is available “nationwide” in the UK, with an expansion into European nations including Ireland, France, and Spain slated for this summer. Needless to say, the rollback of lockdown restrictions (and the return of crowd-based entertainment) could well bolster hard seltzer sales, which experienced considerable growth in 2020.
More broadly, Ellie Goulding’s hard seltzer play represents the latest in a long line of high-profile – and, more often than not, lucrative – artist moves in the beverage space.
Back in 2007, 50 Cent enjoyed a reportedly $100 million or so post-tax windfall after Coca-Cola acquired VitaminWater manufacturer Glacéau. The Queens-born rapper – who in 2018 debuted his Le Chemin Du Roi champagne – had received a minority stake in the brand after becoming a spokesperson, ultimately developing a “Formula 50” VitaminWater.
Travis Scott in mid-March launched his own (Anheuser-Busch-backed) hard seltzer venture, Cacti, and February saw Jay-Z sell half of his Armand de Brignac champagne (commonly known as “Ace of Spades”) to Moët Hennessy. After participating in multiple Bud Light advert campaigns and Super Bowl commercials – and launching his Maison No. 9 wine in the U.S. in April of 2021 – Post Malone last month teamed up with Monster Energy for a sweepstakes.
Lastly, “Fly Away” creator Lenny Kravitz appeared in a 30-second-long Stella Artois spot during this year’s Super Bowl – while Rockstar Energy tapped Lil Baby to star in its first-ever commercial during the big game – and Halsey struck a partnership with Budweiser in October of 2020.