Call it a late career shift or just a beverage-alcohol professional trying something new, but the former brewmaster for Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw is launching an energy drink.
Mōcean (pronounced “motion”) is a new venture from Tony Vieira, who spent over 35 years working in various operational roles in the beer industry, including most recently as VP of Operations and Quality at Mark Anthony Brands. The zero-sugar line is set to roll out at retail in 12 oz. slim cans this fall, positioned as a “grown-up” energy drink that doesn’t use candy flavors or taurine.
The inspiration behind the brand came when Tony’s son, Christian Vieira, went searching for an energy drink at a hospital vending machine while his wife was giving birth to their first child.
“He was 32 at the time and he said as he went to reach for a cotton candy flavored variety, ‘Oh, my God, who am I?’” Tony Vieira said. “It was targeting a much younger demographic than him.”
The father-son team set out to create a drink that could speak to energy consumers aged 25 to 40. Mōcean uses fruit flavors like Blueberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Guava, Mandarin and White Peach, and features adaptogenic ingredients that trace back to the Vieiras’ Filipino roots.
Mōcean has 130 milligrams of green tea caffeine and 10 calories. The brand formula is taking an energy plus immunity positioning, highlighting shiso leaf as its hero ingredient alongside ashwagandha, echinacea, elderberry, ginseng and zinc. Shiso provides gastrointestinal benefits, anti-inflammatory properties and is a “point of differentiation for the brand,” Vieira said.
“It is a signal to the Asian markets where we believe this formula and branding are very transferable internationally, particularly to Asia,” he said. “We can also own the SEO (search engine optimization) on it.”
While Vieira has spent nearly all of his career in beer, he sees an opportunity in branching out into caffeinated drinks where dollar sales continue to rise and demand for better-for-you options seems to have no ceiling.
The $25 billion energy drink category rose 10.8% in the 52 weeks ended August 10, according to Circana MULO+C tracking. The fastest-rising brands in the set, Bloom and Alani Nu, have both been acquired in the last year, targeting health and wellness-seeking consumers with increasing success.
One requirement Vieira had when he began working with a Los Angeles-based beverage formulator was that it had to “taste phenomenal cold and really good warm,” he said, because he knew through experience that placement is never guaranteed for startup brands and flavor would be a key deciding factor.
The younger Vieira is taking on the role of Brand Strategist, using his expertise working as a creative director for big companies like Electronic Arts, Audible, Chevrolet and Nestlé to differentiate Mōcean with its marketing approach.
Mōcean is taking a “humorous approach to creating a brand voice,” said Vieira. “It’s somewhere between Ryan Reynolds and Liquid Death. It’s snarky and intelligent but not insulting.”
That “snarky” voice is represented in a brand description on-the-can, calling on consumers to stop drinking “fermented cat piss.” Mōcean’s first marketing pitch shows a can wearing jeans with the tagline: “We put grown-up pants on an energy drink.”
The first production run for the brand will be the first week of October, but the company is currently looking to acquire a production facility in New England, where it plans to make Mōcean and co-manufacture for many categories, including beverage alcohol.