Robert Downey Jr. Sells Coffee Now
Happy, co-founded by Robert Downey Jr., will sell mental-health-aligned beverages.
When you think of Robert Downey Jr., you probably think about his performances as Marvel's Iron Man, or his recent Academy Award nomination for his role in Oppenheimer. You can now add "coffee purveyor" to his list of accomplishments, because he and a consumer packaged goods executive have partnered up to create a new line of coffee called Happy.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Happy coffee, explained
Robert Downey Jr. has linked up with Craig Dubitsky, founder of personal care company Eos and oral care company Hello, to create Happy. Trade publication Food Dive reports that Happy will sell whole bean and ground coffee, along with Keurig K-Cups and instant varieties, in light, medium, and dark roasts.
The coffee field is a crowded one. Happy plans on differentiating itself by emphasizing affordable prices and quality, and the coffee will be packaged in a cube-shaped container. That shape was a deliberate choice, designed to grab someone's attention in the grocery aisle; the concept seems like a throwback to Eos lip balm products, which are shaped like eggs. The package's tactile nature encourages consumers to pick up the product to look at it.
Happy's coffee will also have a QR code that directs users to the website of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which has partnered with the brand. This is an attempt by the founders to spotlight the issue of mental health struggles.
Coffee is simply the first category Downey Jr. and Dubitsky have landed on. There are other types of goods planned in terms of food and beverage, but those are dependent on the success of Happy's coffee products.
Other celebrities sell coffee too
People love their caffeine, including yours truly. Celebrities know this, and others have previously become coffee entrepreneurs.
Take basketball star Jimmy Butler, who has his own brand called Big Face Coffee, which not only sells high-end coffee, but also coffee brewing equipment and apparel. Popular YouTube star Emma Chamberlain (12 million+ subscribers) also has her own coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee. And other celebs in the coffee business include Hugh Jackman (Laughing Man Coffee), Machine Gun Kelly (27 Club, a coffee shop with online merch), and the members of Green Day (Oakland Coffee).
Food Dive doesn't announce when the product is rolling out in stores, but when it drops, it'll be hard to miss its distinctive packaging on the shelves. If you ever pick up a cube of Happy, just know Iron Man had something to do with your morning brew.