It’s no secret that celebrities have names that sell. As a business strategy, some companies want to team up with these A-listers, creating custom products personalized to each celebrity — like the Charli Cold Brew at Dunkin. But other celebrities turn into real entrepreneurs and build their own products and companies from scratch. Of course, their names and reputations give them a little bit of a jumpstart, but quite a few of these companies really take off beyond the celebrity behind it; like 818 Tequila.
The following list is by no means exhaustive because it’s limited to celebrities who are founders or founding members. They may not have 100% ownership and have sought help from experts in the field, but all of these celebrities originally came up with a mission or a product. Nothing against Charli D’Amelio at all, but a collaboration is a lot different than inventing and ownership. Here is an encyclopedia of brands that celebrities founded, or are founding members of.
Avaline - Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz and co-owner Katherine Power set out to make high-quality wine with organic grapes. The duo is “committed to transparency” in their wine-making process, and one of the things that makes their brand unique is that instead of using artificial preservatives, they use healthier ingredients to preserve the wine, like pea protein.
Aviation Gin - Ryan Reynolds
So many of these celebrity-owned businesses sell alcohol. Ryan Reynolds — sometimes better known as Blake Lively’s husband — is no different, as one of the co-owners of Aviation Gin. Aviation is distilled in Seattle, and this one gin is the only product the company makes.
Boldly Grown Popcorn - Luke Bryan
Oddly enough, country singer Luke Bryan teamed up with Fendt, a tractor brand under AGCO, to release this popcorn. This popcorn came in two flavors: Bold Butter and Chart Toppin’
Churro.
Bourdon - Becca Kufrin
This former star of The Bachelorette is sparkling in the wine industry. Bourdon, which means bumblebee in French, specializes in sparkling wines — whites, rosés, and even reds. The sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé is definitely on my list to try.
Chamberlain Coffee - Emma Chamberlain
When celebrities get famous as fast as Emma Chamberlain did, they’re obviously going to expand into as many markets as they can. Chamberlain Coffee is an incredible success, selling not just coffee beans, but also cold brew blends, matcha, and merchandise. Chamberlain also recently teamed up with 818 Tequila and Kendall Jenner on an espresso martini.
Cravings — Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen’s cooking company truly does it all: from cookbooks, to cookware, to tableware. Teigen also released three boxed baking mixes: Buttermilk Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix, The Ultimate Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix, and Chrissy’s Ultimate Banana Bread Mix.
Della Vite — Cara & Poppy Delevingne
Who ever said champagne is better than prosecco? These model sisters set out to create a prosecco that is not only delicious but also sustainably produced. The process is entirely vegan and is made in Valdobbiadene, in Northern Italy.
Delola — Jennifer Lopez
Delola is a unique celebrity-owned alcohol company, selling not just liquor or not just a cocktail, but both in one product. Lopez’s company sells bottles of pre-mixed cocktails using premium liquor combined with fruity flavors. The Bella Berry contains vodka, berries, and hibiscus, the Paloma Rosa contains tequila, grapefruit, and elderflower, and the L’Orange Spritz contains amaro, orange, and passionfruit.
Florence by Mills Coffee — Millie Bobby Brown
Florence by Mills covers a lot of MBB-centered products, like clothing and makeup. However, the company also has a coffee line, selling luxury hot-chocolate, coffee concentrate, ground coffee, and coffee syrups.
Hampton Water — Jon Bon Jovi
The famous singer and his son, Jesse, created a wine that basically combines the vibe of the Hamptons with the vibe of France. This rosé is supposed to be “laid back,” and the profits of the company also go towards a handful of good causes.
Hanx — Tom Hanks
Along the coffee lines, Tom Hanks owns a non-profit coffee company, where all of the profits go to American soldiers and veterans. “Damn good coffee for a damn good cause.”
Hart House — Kevin Hart
At these quick-service restaurants, Kevin Hart is selling a plant-based menu of chicken sandwiches, burgers, nuggets, milkshakes, fries, and tater tots. It’s basically like a vegan Shake Shack. There are four Hart House locations, all in California.
Laughing Man — Hugh Jackman
The Wolverine star’s company sells fair trade coffee beans from Ethiopia, from a coffee farmer named Dukale, whom Hugh Jackman has gotten to know personally. There is also a Laughing Man cafe in Tribeca, New York City.
LVE Wines — John Legend
John Legend has not only entered the wine industry but also entered the canned cocktail game. LVE produces French and domestic wines by the bottle and also sells canned rosé and sparkling rosé.
Maison No. 9 — Post Malone
I definitely didn’t pin Post Malone as the rosé type, but I’m not complaining. The famous rapper teamed up with James Morrissey and Dre London to create an exceptional rosé, produced in Provence, France.
Oakland Coffee — Green Day
Coffee, coffee, and more celebrity coffee. The three members of the iconic rock band Green Day created a coffee company that would help them get through writing and recording late at night, rehearsing, and touring.
Once Upon A Farm — Jennifer Garner
I feel like this company is one of the truest celebrity-owned businesses, where the company has little to do with Jennifer Garner’s image, and is mostly about the cause that she believes in. Once Upon A Farm sells kid-friendly, organic, plant-filled foods like smoothies, oat bars, and pasta meals.
Rob’s Backstage Popcorn — The Jonas Brothers
After one rainy night in 2011 when a show was canceled, Nick Jonas went back to his friend Greg’s house. Greg’s dad, Rob Garbowsky, whipped up a batch of his famous sweet and salty popcorn, and Nick was hooked. The Jonas Brothers were instantly hooked, where they kept this recipe as a backstage secret until they launched the company in 2021.
Snoop Cereal — Snoop Dogg
I’m honestly surprised Snoop Dogg hasn’t seen legal action for this company yet. Snoop Cereal has three products: Fruity Hoopz with marshmallows (which is like Froot Loops and Lucky Charms had a baby), Frosted Drizzlers that look a lot like Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats, and Cinnamon Toasteez, a dupe of none other than Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Sprinter — Kylie Jenner
Even after White Claws, High Noons, and all of the other vodka soda brands, of course we still needed one from a Kardashian. Sprinter’s 4.5% ABV canned cocktails come in black cherry, lime, grapefruit, and peach.
tbh — Noah Schnapp
Nutella is undeniably the most famous hazelnut spread brand, but Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp wasn’t happy with all of the ingredients. Schnapp created tbh, a vegan hazelnut cocoa spread with no palm oil.
Teremana Tequila — Dwayne Johnson
The Rock’s small batch tequila company sells blanco, reposado, and anejo, and has its very own distillery in Mexico. Teremana also has this crazy “Guac on the Rock” promotion, where if you go to a restaurant and order a Teremana cocktail and guacamole through the whole month of May and submit a photo of your receipt, Teremana will reimburse you in honor of Cinco de Mayo and Johnson’s birthday.
The Big Chicken — Shaquiel O’Neil
Obviously the name includes “big” if the company was founded by Shaq. The chicken company sells really loaded chicken sandwiches, plus sides and sweets like loaded fries, mac and cheese, and milkshakes. The Big Chicken is actually pretty widespread, with locations in 16 states, and Carnival Cruise Lines.
The Dreaming Tree — Dave Matthews
Even though Dave Matthews makes me nostalgic for the early 2000s, he is definitely current in his wine company’s sustainability efforts. The bottle for the Dreaming Tree is ⅓ lighter than the average wine bottle, which means it takes less carbon emissions to produce. Additionally, the label is out of 100% recycled paper and made using renewable energy.
This Saves Lives — Kristen Bell
Star of The Good Place and Frozen, Kristen Bell teamed up with Ravi Patel, Todd Grinnell, and Ryan Devlin to make granola bars for both children and adults. The profits of the company go towards ending childhood hunger through two charities, Second Mile Haiti and No Kid Hungry.
Tingly Ted's — Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran co-created Tingly Ted's to create a ketchup and hot sauce mashup that's not too spicy and can be put on just about everything. There are currently two sauces, Tingly – a medium hot sauce – and Xtra Tingly – Tingly but hotter. Both sauces have fresh lemon notes and a smoky flavor.
Vera Wang Party — Vera Wang
Of course, this wine bottle is aesthetically pleasing as Wang’s own designs. Like her fashion, Wang is keeping her wine fresh and fun, with this brand selling prosecco and sparkling rosé that’s perfect for your next outdoor dinner party.
Villa One Tequila & Villa One Gardens — Nick Jonas
Popcorn isn’t all that Nick Jonas can do. He also jumped on the tequila train, creating his own bottle and opening the Villa One Tequila Gardens. This bar in San Diego has three pages worth of margarita flavors and cocktails to choose from, plus a good selection of appetizers and share plates.
19 Crimes — Snoop Dogg & Martha Stewart
This is probably the most unexpected team-up I’ve ever seen. This Snoop & Martha wine brand has an interesting collectible twist: on the side of your cork reads one of the 19 crimes that are “punishable by transportation.”
818 Tequila — Kendall Jenner
You can’t say that 818’s success comes solely from Kendall Jenner’s image and promotion because this tequila brand has won 43 blind tasting awards. The stylish, trendy bottle gets people to pick it up, and the smooth taste gets people to keep buying.