Tequila-based RTD producer Casa Azul has confirmed the buy-in of American football player Travis Kelce.
The transaction, announced this week, is for an undisclosed stake in the start-up, which launched its namesake brand in the US in August. The sum paid by Kelce, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, was also not divulged.
Casa Azul intends to capitalise on Kelce’s profile in the US: The player is also an “official Nike athlete” and recently launched his own clothing line.
The Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII this weekend.
Casa Azul Tequila Soda comprises four flavours and is on sale in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, although not in Kansa City’s home state of Missouri.
In figures released last month from the US Control States, the spirits-based RTD segment delivered an impressive rate of sales growth last year. For the 12 months of 2022, sales by value in the 17 markets leapt by just under 29% on the same period a year earlier.
