Taika Announced Taika Waititi as Chief Creative Officer, Timed With a Nationwide Launch at Sprouts
Creative Energy Collaboration: Taika Inc. and Taika Waititi Join Forces
Waititi joins the brand as Chief Creative Officer and will be advising on branding, marketing campaigns, strategic direction and positioning of the brand. “Taika has been a fan of the brand since 2020, so we are beyond excited to officially welcome him to the Taika family. His wit, humor and relentless creative vision makes him a perfect ambassador and collaborator for Taika’s line of creativity fueling beverages.” – CEO + Co-Founder, Michael Sharon.
Taika Waititi is an Academy Award® and GRAMMY®-winning, Emmy®-nominated writer, director, actor and producer. Most recently, Waititi directed and co-wrote THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER now streaming on Disney+. His film JOJO RABBIT received six Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, and earned him an Oscar® for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film, which was released by Searchlight Pictures, was also nominated for a Golden Globe® for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and won a GRAMMY for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, among other accolades. Previously, Waititi directed the critically-acclaimed blockbuster THOR: RAGNAROK for Disney, as well as the beloved indie films HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and BOY.
“I’m excited to come on board with Taika Inc. in this new role. The melding of Taika the coffee with Taika the person is not only insanely obvious, but it also allows me to wear a hat with my name on it and not look like a narcissist. It tastes great and most importantly, it keeps me from napping when I should be working,” said Waititi.
The announcement of Waititi as CCO comes hot on the heels of a national roll out in Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide, where the natural foods and organic focused grocery chain will now be carrying Taika’s best-selling line of “Creative Fuel” products – coffee and matcha lattes.
Since launching in 2020, the brand has grown rapidly online and throughout stores in California, establishing a well-deserved niche in the premium coffee and matcha categories, and a loyal consumer following known as “Taikanauts.” Taika solves a huge unmet need in the coffee and energy drink market by offering healthier alternatives that not only boost energy, but also stimulate creative thinking with a unique blend of natural ingredients and no artificial preservatives or sugars.
Developed by Kal Freese (two-time Finnish Barista Champion and top 10 World Barista Champion), and Michael Sharon (former Facebook product leader), Taika’s software-like development approach combines food science and premium ingredients to create outrageously delicious drinks that are secretly healthy for you.
Taika’s delicious coffee and matcha lattes are made from all natural ingredients, infused with adaptogens with no sugar, unnecessary carbs, or artificial additives. Every single one of their products is plant-based, keto-friendly and has no added sugar. Their creative energy products include the Black Coffee, Oat Milk Latte, Macadamia Latte, Mocha Latte and their #1 selling product, the Matcha Latte. Meticulously designed to deliver optimal taste, health benefits and efficacy, each can of Taika includes carefully sourced ingredients, housemade plant and nut milks, a proprietary natural sweetener stack, and a unique blend of adaptogens, including L-Theanine, Ashwagandha, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi, which work synergistically with caffeine to sustain creativity and keep consumers feeling inspired.
Taika’s full range of products, which are keto-friendly, non-GMO, plant-based, gluten free and sustainably sourced, are available at select retailers including Erewhon Market, Sprouts, Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres, Faire, Bi-Rite Market and Thrive Market, as well as through delivery services Good Eggs and Instacart, among others, in addition to its e-commerce website taika.co and Amazon. For more information, please visit Taika online at https://taika.co/, on Instagram @taika, or on Facebook.
About Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi is an Academy Award® and GRAMMY®-winning, Emmy®-nominated writer, director, actor and producer. Most recently, Waititi directed and co-wrote THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER now streaming on Disney+. His film JOJO RABBIT received six Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, and earned him an Oscar® for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film, which was released by Searchlight Pictures, was also nominated for a Golden Globe® for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and won a GRAMMY for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, among other accolades. Previously, Waititi directed the critically-acclaimed blockbuster THOR: RAGNAROK for Disney, as well as the beloved indie films HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, BOY, and the Oscar®-nominated short film TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT. He also executive produced through Piki Films, his production company with Carthew Neal, THE BREAKER UPPERERS, BABY DONE, and the first Indigenous Canadian/New Zealand co-production, NIGHT RAIDERS, which premiered at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.
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Waititi is currently preparing for the release of his upcoming film NEXT GOAL WINS, which he wrote, directed, and produced, based on the 2014 documentary of the same name. Searchlight Pictures will release the film in theaters November 17, 2023 following its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival this September. Waititi is also executive producer of Billy Luther’s film FRYBREAD FACE AND ME, which premiered at SXSW 2023. Previously, Waititi was seen in Shawn Levy’s FREE GUY from 20th Century Studios, alongside Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Joe Keery.
For television, Waititi is in post-production on Hulu’s INTERIOR CHINATOWN, for which he directed the pilot and also executive produced, as well as TIME BANDITS for Apple TV+ and season two of the Max fan-favorite period comedy, OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, in which he stars as “Blackbeard” and serves as executive producer.
Also for the small screen, Waititi is the co-creator and executive producer of the Indigenous American teen comedy RESERVATION DOGS for FX, for which he co-wrote the first episode with co-creator Sterlin Harjo. The series, which will premiere its third and final season August 2, 2023, has been well-received, winning the 2021 Gotham Award for Short-Form Breakthrough Series and the 2022 Independent Spirit Award for Best New Scripted Series, as well as earning nominations for last year’s Critic’s Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards®, and Writers Guild of America Awards. Additionally, Waititi directed the season one finale of THE MANDALORIAN for Disney+, in which he also voices “IG-11,” and serves as executive producer on the critically-acclaimed TV adaptation of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, for which he’s directed several episodes.
Waititi is currently preparing for the release of his upcoming film NEXT GOAL WINS, which he wrote, directed, and produced, based on the 2014 documentary of the same name. Searchlight Pictures will release the film in theaters November 17, 2023 following its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival this September. Waititi is also executive producer of Billy Luther’s film FRYBREAD FACE AND ME, which premiered at SXSW 2023. Previously, Waititi was seen in Shawn Levy’s FREE GUY from 20th Century Studios, alongside Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Joe Keery.
For television, Waititi is in post-production on Hulu’s INTERIOR CHINATOWN, for which he directed the pilot and also executive produced, as well as TIME BANDITS for Apple TV+ and season two of the Max fan-favorite period comedy, OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, in which he stars as “Blackbeard” and serves as executive producer.
Also for the small screen, Waititi is the co-creator and executive producer of the Indigenous American teen comedy RESERVATION DOGS for FX, for which he co-wrote the first episode with co-creator Sterlin Harjo. The series, which will premiere its third and final season August 2, 2023, has been well-received, winning the 2021 Gotham Award for Short-Form Breakthrough Series and the 2022 Independent Spirit Award for Best New Scripted Series, as well as earning nominations for last year’s Critic’s Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards®, and Writers Guild of America Awards. Additionally, Waititi directed the season one finale of THE MANDALORIAN for Disney+, in which he also voices “IG-11,” and serves as executive producer on the critically-acclaimed TV adaptation of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, for which he’s directed several episodes.
