Grand opening, grand closing!
Source: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff / Getty
According to Revolt, Travis Scott’s empire took another loss when Anheuser-Busch announced on Friday that it will no longer distribute the rapper’s CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. “After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision,” the brewing giant shared in a statement.
Although the announcement came just a few weeks after the Astroworld Fest, Anheuser-Busch didn’t cite tragedy for their decision to discontinue the drink. A source close to Travis told TMZ that the end of the partnership after less than a year is a mutual decision and “not a cancelation or ceasing of an ongoing agreement.”
A rep for Travis also explained to TMZ that “Travis was clear in his interview that he is not focused on business right now and his priority is helping his community and fans heal. CACTI asked AB InBev to inform their wholesalers there will not be product at this time.”
It’s understandable that the split would be in the best interest of both parties after Astroworld, but Anheuser-Busch had other motivations. Cacti went from flying off the shelves in March, making it an instant top 5 brand in the seltzer market, to a significant decline in sales in recent months.
Nike is also putting the breaks on a releasing a Travis Scott shoe. “Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack,” the sneaker company wrote in a statement.
It’s hard to believe that the man who made Happy Meals and seltzer cool again could lose his marketing magic so fast. In 2020, Travis was the king of corporate collaborations, including a virtual Fortnite concert, a Strategic Creative Partner role in the highly anticipated rollout of Sony’s Playstation 5, and his own wildly successful custom McDonald’s meal.
It’s unclear what the future looks like for Travis as a mogul and an artist, but as long as Mama Kris and the Kardashian Klan are on his side, anything is possible.