Multi-platinum recording artist ZAYN has taken an equity stake in FocusFuel, the caffeine gummy brand now rolling out across major U.S. retail chains, marking one of the more operator-relevant celebrity beverage investments of the year. The deal converts an existing product relationship — ZAYN has been using FocusFuel backstage for himself, his band, and his touring team since late 2024 — into a formal business partnership with an undisclosed equity position.
The Product Story
FocusFuel delivers 50 mg of caffeine per gummy alongside L-theanine, positioning itself as a portable, format-flexible alternative to coffee and energy drinks. The product is vegan and gluten-free, and its grab-and-go format appeals to on-the-move consumers — a profile that maps directly onto the hospitality and foodservice channel opportunity. For operators watching the functional beverage and better-for-you snack categories evolve, the gummy delivery format represents a growing segment distinct from both the carbonated energy drink aisle and traditional coffee service.
Retail and Fan Activation
The partnership launches November 13 with a co-branded FocusFuel x ZAYN kit featuring Strawberry Lemonade and Watermelon gummies, designed to evoke the backstage experience. A New York fan event is scheduled for November 14–15. The timing aligns with FocusFuel's confirmed retail expansion into Target, 7-Eleven, Sheetz, and Sam's Club, with availability varying by retailer and location — a distribution footprint that places the product squarely in front of convenience-channel and mass-retail shoppers.
"From the beginning, we've wanted FocusFuel to fit into people's lives, wherever the day takes them," said Daniel Herz, co-founder and CEO of FocusFuel. "ZAYN has so many different sides to his life, which is why the fit felt so natural."
ZAYN, who credits gaming as a primary use case alongside touring demands, described a grassroots adoption path: "I first heard about FocusFuel in August 2024… once I tried it a few times myself and realized I liked it, I recommended it to a few friends, and they also felt the benefits of it. After that I knew I wanted to be involved."
Why Operators Should Watch
The FocusFuel model — high-caffeine, functional, low-footprint, no refrigeration required — fits a gap that hospitality operators and c-store buyers have been trying to fill as consumers shift away from traditional energy drinks toward cleaner-label alternatives. The convenience channel expansion into Sheetz and 7-Eleven in particular signals that the brand is targeting impulse purchase occasions that overlap with foodservice dayparts.
Celebrity-backed functional beverage plays have a mixed track record, but deals rooted in authentic, documented product use — rather than purely transactional endorsements — tend to resonate longer with retail buyers and consumers alike. This positions FocusFuel differently from many influencer-to-equity arrangements. Industry observers tracking the functional beverage and energy category will find FocusFuel's distribution strategy worth monitoring as the brand tests how far a gummy format can travel across retail tiers.
For a broader look at how non-traditional energy formats are reshaping the hospitality beverage set, our restaurant beverage coverage has tracked the category's evolution at the operator level across multiple channels.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
