Lela London, Forbes, Oct 24, 2023
Musician and entrepreneur Zayn Malik has just joined MIXOLOSHE, the non-alcoholic cocktail brand, as Chief Creative Officer (CCO).
To mark the announcement, Malik has launched his first flavor for the brand—a non-alcoholic Lychee Martini—though the partnership will extend far beyond this collaboration.
“I’m really excited about this new venture,” says Malik. “I’ve been wanting to get involved in this market space for quite some time now—I didn’t want to just settle for any brand or company, though. It had to be right; the brand, partner, creative, and taste.”
Said partner, MIXOLOSHE founder and CEO Kristina Roth, founded her company in 2022 and racked up a number of awards for her non-alcoholic Blueberry G&Ts, Tropical Smoky Margaritas, and more in its first year of business.
“In the non-alcoholic market, the major issue we've identified is the difficulty in finding beverages that tick all the boxes; they must taste good, be authentic in flavor, clean in terms of ingredients, and affordable,” says Roth. “We're dedicated to filling this void with a product that caters to the needs and desires of the majority of adults who aren't drinking, making non-alcoholic options as enticing and satisfying as their alcoholic counterparts.”
As a person who sometimes indulges in alcoholic beverages, Roth felt it was important to create cocktail-like concoctions that featured the signature "burn" associated with traditional spirits, and spent many months experimenting with natural flavors.
“It was during one of these experimentation sessions that I vividly recall shouting out ‘we found Kryptonite!’
“That moment, that flavor, it struck a chord with me deep in my heart, and I had a gut feeling that we were on the brink of something truly revolutionary in the industry.”
Committed to playing things a little less ‘safe’ than the average mocktail brand, Malik was excited to follow in Roth’s footsteps with the creation of a booze-free Lychee Martini (with a specially-designed can featuring replica illustrations of the artist’s many tattoos).
“Lychee Martinis have been a favorite cocktail of mine for years,” he says. “When I would want to recreate it at home it was really difficult because there weren’t any lychee flavor options. There was a lack of accessibility and I wanted to create it in a NA form to be enjoyed whenever.”
A new partnership with Walmart will help to make this possible, too. With the help of Malik’s star power, MIXOLOSHE has secured a retail debut in 500 Walmart stores across the country...and he’s rightfully excited about it.
“Walmart is a retail giant!” Malik exclaims. “Expanding our reach and popularity has always been a top priority, and this partnership with Walmart aligns perfectly with that vision. It's about making our brand more accessible to everyday consumers.”
Confident in the brand’s low-sugar, high-taste mocktails, both Malik and Roth believe MIXOLOSHE has what it takes to contends with intense competition from traditional soft drink giants and a growing number of niche brands.
With all efforts focused on the US for now, the duo hope to grow the brand internationally—particularly in the UK, where Malik is from—over the coming years.
“We want MIXOLOSHE to be a household name,” Malik adds, with Roth quick to follow.
“Our partnership with Zayn has been a true stroke of serendipity,” she says. “From the very beginning, it felt like an entirely organic connection that was meant to be, and we share a remarkable alignment on both the macro and micro levels when it comes to our company's mission and goals.”
Malik, similarly, endorses Roth as a “creative visionary”.
“As a team, we know each of our strengths and we work well together,” he says. “We’re passionate about MIXOLOSHE and making this the number one non alcoholic drink brand in the world.”
See the original article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lelalondon/2023/10/24/zayn-malik-joins-mixoloshe-a-female-led-mocktail-brand-as-cco/?sh=3226269a2e47