Saint James Iced Tea is waking up in a new category.
The beverage brand — cofounded by Brenden Cohen and John M. Feolito, cofounder of AriZona Iced Tea — is dropping its first line of organic yerba mate. Made with 150 milligrams of all-natural caffeine sourced in South America, the collection consists of three flavors — Mango Passionfruit, Raspberry Lemon and Strawberry Tangerine — packaged in Saint James’ signature aluminum bottles. Available on Amazon and saintjamesicedtea.com now, the 12-pack is priced at $39.99.
The new line adds to the brand’s vast assortment of better-for-you tea, fruity and green, including Classic Mango, Half and Half, Juicy Peach, Red Raspberry and Passionfruit and Peach, its newer flavor made in collaboration with cult-favorite beauty brand Tarte Cosmetics.
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In an official statement, Cohen said yerba mate was a natural evolution for the brand. “Our consumers already turn to Saint James as part of their daily routine, so creating a more functional option was the next logical step. Saint James Yerba Mate delivers the same quality and taste our customers expect from us, now with a more substantial amount of natural caffeine,” he continued.
To celebrate the expansion, Saint James tapped a diverse lineup of talent, ranging in profession and artistry. The campaign includes NHL player Jack Hughes; former NFL wide receiver Victor Cruz, and model, entrepreneur and chief executive officer of jewelry brand Isa Grutman, Isabela Rangel Grutman.
Speaking with WWD, Grutman characterized herself as an avid caffeine consumer. “I’m obsessed,” she said. “I drink two coffees as soon as I wake up, but I cannot drink coffee as the day goes on. So for me, I love Saint James Iced Tea because I can still have caffeine without being jittery or feeling anxiety in the middle of the day. I love to keep the caffeine going, but in a smart way.” The Saint James Yerba Mate, she continued, is the ideal midday pick-me-up for when “you start to go down.”
A Brazilian business owner, this is far from Grutman’s first experience with yerba mate. But for anyone who’s not as familiar with the tea, the multihyphenate described it as coffee without the negative side effects. “It’s more of a smooth one, and it doesn’t go as high peak and low like coffee does,” she noted.
This star-studded campaign comes less than a year after Saint James tapped influencer Ashtin Earle, the younger sister of Alix Earle, to front its back-to-school collaboration with heritage Y2K brand Juicy Couture last year, transforming her into the ultimate “Princess Peach.” The storyline centered around Saint James’ new Juicy Peach drink, which fuses black tea from Assam, India, with a plant-based sweetener and natural fruit.
