Kim Kardashian has become the latest celebrity to promote Clevr Blends, the female-led coffee startup that Meghan Markle has invested in.
A little over a week after Oprah Winfrey, 66, plugged the brand online, the reality star, 40, took to her Instagram Stories on Monday to share a photo of a gift basket filled with goodies, including the brand’s Golden SuperLatte and Matcha SuperLatte powders, which retail for $28 apiece.
While Oprah made it clear that Meghan had personally sent her the bags of the powdered oat-milk lattes, Kim received her samples from Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet, whom she tagged in the post.
A-list adopter: Kim Kardashian promoted Clevr Blends on her Instagram Stories on Monday. Meghan Markle has invested in the brand of instant oat-milk lattes
The reality star tagged Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet, who sent the gift basket, which featured the brand’s Golden SuperLatte and Matcha SuperLatte powders
It’s unclear if Stacey has also invested in the brand or is just a fan of its lattes. The gift basket she sent to Kim featured products from other companies, including Jade Leaf Matcha and Flowerhead Tea’s Notcha Matcha.
Meghan has worn Alice + Olivia designs in the past, and she is the first celebrity fan listed on the brand’s website. The Duchess of Sussex and her exit from royal life was also the topic of conversation at Stacey’s first female empowerment dinner last January, according to Vogue.
Clevr Blends seems to be a natural fit for Meghan, who has always had a passion for health and wellness.
Run by CEO Hannah Mendoza, the company sells a range of instant oat-milk lattes. Each flavor features adaptogens, coconut cream, oat milk, probiotics, and mushrooms.
Long before she was the Duchess of Sussex, the former Suits actress would often share recipes and entertaining advice on her now-shuttered lifestyle blog The Tig — named after Tignanello, one of her favorite wines.
Connection: It’s unclear if Stacey (left) has invested in the brand or is just a fan of its lattes. Meghan is a fan of Alice + Olivia and wore one of the brand’s blazers in February 2019 (right)
It’s official! Meghan, pictured on a recent CNN appearance, confirmed to Fortune last week that she’d invested in the company Clevr Blends
Meghan confirmed to Fortune last week that she had invested in the company, though it’s unclear how much stake she has in the startup.
Clevr Blends was founded in January last year and is based in Santa Barbara, California, where Meghan and Prince Harry have been living with their one-year-old son Archie.
Over the summer, the couple purchased a $14.65 million mansion in Montecito, a seaside enclave in Santa Barbara County that boasts a number of A-list residents, including Oprah, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ellen DeGeneres.
According to Fortune, Meghan reached out to the Clevr Blends after trying one of the company’s oat-milk lattes, which were first sold at a pop-up coffee shop in Santa Barbara in 2017.
Hours before her stake in the company became public, Oprah plugged the brand on Instagram while showing off the ‘lovely Christmas basket’ she had received from her ‘neighbor.’
Famous fan: Meghan sent Oprah Winfrey a basket with the products last week, and the media mogul plugged the brand on Instagram by sharing a video of herself making a golden latte
Promotion: In Oprah’s caption, she told her 19.2 million followers that her ‘neighbor’ sent her the basket, saying it’s her ‘new drink of choice’
In the video, the media mogul scooped the golden latte mix into a mug and added hot water, saying Meghan told her to add a third of a cup before blending it with a frother and adding more.
‘On the first day of Christmas my neighbor “M” sent to me…a basket of deliciousness! (Yes that M) My new drink of choice for the morning and night,’ Oprah captioned the post.
‘Wish I had Clevr Blends sooner cause I would’ve added it to my Favorite Things list,’ she told her 19.2 million followers.
It’s unclear if Oprah knew about Meghan’s investment in the brand. She did not label her post as a paid ad of any kind.
In a statement to Fortune last week, Meghan said: ‘This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.
‘I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.’
Leader: Hannah Mendoza is the CEO of Clevr Blends, which she co-founded in January 2019. She graduated the from University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2014
Special brew: Clevr Blends features a variety of latte flavors, including matcha, coffee, chai, and golden. Each bag sells for $28
Mendoza co-founded the company with Roger Coppola in January 2019. The pair both attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, with the former graduating in 2014.
The CEO opened up about Meghan’s investment in a statement to Fortune, saying: ‘Entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need advisers who care deeply about what they are building.
‘I’m grateful to have found both in the Duchess of Sussex. Her passion for what we’re creating is palpable, and I couldn’t imagine a more aligned partnership. We’re excited for the road ahead.’
Clevr Blends has a range of powdered ‘super lattes’ that cost $28 per bag. The company also offers an $18 branded milk frother and travel mug that is sold out.
Mendoza founded Clevr Blends after setting up a ‘funky coffee pop up bar,’ according to the company’s website.
‘We traveled the California coast, mixing up adaptogenic lattes and mushrooms coffees out the back of a van. It was awesome,’ she wrote.
Ethics: The company ‘only’ uses organic or non-GMO ingredients and donates a percentage of its revenue ‘to organizations that are fighting for food justice in the USA’
Easy: Customers only need to add water to the company’s superfood powders, which feature adaptogens, coconut cream, oat milk, probiotics, and mushrooms
‘Our drinks made people feel amazing—but were hard to re-create at home. We needed an easier way to bring these magical elixirs to people’s daily rituals…so we hit the kitchen!
‘We set out on a mission to create the most delicious, nutrition-rich instant latte on the planet. After 1 year of formulation and meticulous ingredient sourcing later, our SuperLattes were born!’
The company ‘only’ uses organic or non-GMO ingredients and donates a percentage of its revenue ‘to organizations that are fighting for food justice in the USA.’
Meghan’s stake in Clevr Blends marks her first public investment since she and Harry stepped down as senior royals earlier this year to pursue a private life and seek ‘financial independence’ from the royal family.
Their departure sent shockwaves through the royal family and came after months of rumored discord.
In their roles as senior royals, they would not have been able to make private investments. But now, they are free to enter business deals with the likes of Netflix — with whom they’ve partnered in a deal with a reported $100 million.
They have also collected checks for speaking at private engagements since quitting royal life in January 2020 after complaining of press intrusion.
