Sollos is entering the crowded functional-drink market with a Pineapple + Coconut yerba mate beverage priced at $3.25 per can. The debate is less about one can of caffeine than whether a new, celebrity-linked brand has made a convincing premium case.
Sollos, a Barron Trump-backed beverage company, is charging $39 for a 12-pack of its first drink, prompting criticism over the price. Barron Trump is listed by the company as a founding partner and director, and the brand’s Pineapple + Coconut yerba mate beverage has begun selling online and at select South Florida retailers.
Sollos has launched its first beverage product, a Pineapple + Coconut yerba mate drink, and is charging $39 for a 12-pack. Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Donald Trump, is listed by Sollos as a founding partner and director, making the company a Barron Trump-backed venture.
The launch has drawn backlash over both the premium price and Barron Trump’s connection to the brand. Critics have questioned whether the drink offers enough value to justify its cost, while online reaction has also focused on his involvement in the company. The 12-pack price works out to $3.25 per can, placing Sollos in the premium functional-drink market. The product is available through the company’s website and at select retailers in South Florida, according to Sollos, making the launch a test of whether consumers will accept its pricing and celebrity-linked positioning.
Its opening product is a single flavor: Pineapple + Coconut. USA Today reported in June that the drink was available through Sollos’ website and at select retailers in South Florida, with no announced timetable for additional flavors.
The company presents the beverage as something broader than a conventional energy drink. Its marketing says it can fit into the rhythm of a day — from a morning drink to an afternoon boost or a nighttime mixer. That positioning gives Sollos a wide target, but it also means shoppers may compare it with everything from canned coffee to sparkling energy drinks and cocktail mixers.
What the $39 box includes
For $39, customers receive 12 cans, not a subscription or a sampler with several flavors. The listed ingredients include Brazilian yerba mate, organic pineapple and coconut flavors, organic cane sugar, organic raw honey and monk fruit extract.
Each can contains 120 milligrams of natural caffeine and 50 calories, according to Sollos’ product listing. Yerba mate is a caffeinated plant commonly used in drinks marketed as alternatives to coffee or traditional energy beverages.
At $3.25 per can, the price is not automatically outside the range for specialty canned beverages. Still, the total checkout price matters. A shopper trying an unfamiliar brand must commit to a 12-pack, rather than picking up a single can at a typical convenience-store price.
- Pack price: $39
- Cost per can: $3.25
- Flavor at launch: Pineapple + Coconut
- Caffeine per can: 120 milligrams
- Calories per can: 50
Why the price became the story
Criticism cited in the trend coverage has focused on the $39 12-pack, a reaction that reflects a familiar problem for premium consumer brands: customers can assess the price before they have any chance to judge the taste.
That does not establish that the product is overpriced. Premium ingredients, limited distribution, smaller production runs, packaging, shipping and retail margins can all influence a startup’s price. Sollos has positioned its ingredients and Florida-inspired identity as part of its value proposition.
But premium pricing asks the company to make a clear argument. Is the draw the yerba mate formulation, the ingredient list, the taste, the lifestyle branding, the convenience — or the cachet of a business associated with Barron Trump? For skeptical consumers, the last factor can intensify scrutiny instead of easing it.
The public response also should be read carefully. The available reporting establishes that the launch price has drawn backlash, but it does not offer a comprehensive survey of customers or sales data showing how widespread that reaction is. Online criticism can be loud without representing the whole market.
Celebrity ties cut both ways
Barron Trump’s role is likely to ensure attention that most first-time beverage companies cannot buy. He is the youngest son of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, and USA Today reported that he is a student at New York University.
Attention is useful at launch, particularly when a brand has only one product and limited retail availability. It can put Sollos in front of customers quickly and give the company an immediate cultural identity.
Yet notoriety is not the same thing as repeat business. Celebrity or political-family connections can attract supporters while inviting sharper criticism from people who would otherwise view a canned drink as an ordinary retail purchase. That dynamic may explain why the price has become such a prominent part of the conversation.
For Sollos, the challenge is practical: turn visibility into a reason to buy again. A beverage startup ultimately needs consumers to like the flavor, find the caffeine level useful and feel the price is reasonable enough to reorder.
A crowded premium beverage aisle
Sollos is joining a market where shoppers already have abundant choices for caffeine, low-calorie refreshment and better-for-you branding. Established energy drinks compete on performance and familiarity, while newer brands compete on ingredients, aesthetics and social-media appeal.
That makes a distinctive product story valuable, but it also makes comparison unavoidable. Consumers can look at the per-can price, caffeine amount and ingredient list alongside products they already know. A Florida lifestyle message may resonate locally; whether it translates beyond South Florida is a separate question.
The company’s single-flavor debut creates a focused first impression. It also limits the ways a shopper can experiment with the brand. A broader flavor range, individual-can availability or more retail partnerships could lower the barrier for people who are curious but unwilling to spend $39 on a first try.
What Sollos still has to prove
The launch provides basic product details, but several business questions remain unanswered. It is unclear when Sollos plans to introduce more flavors, expand distribution beyond select South Florida retailers or release individual cans more widely.
There is also no public indication in the available reporting of sales figures, production scale or whether the company intends to adjust pricing as it grows. Those details will matter more than the initial wave of reaction in determining whether Sollos becomes a lasting brand.
For now, the clearest fact is straightforward: a Barron Trump-backed beverage company has arrived with a $39 12-pack and a premium pitch. The backlash over that price shows the brand’s toughest work may not be getting noticed. It may be persuading buyers that the drink earns its place in their regular rotation.
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