Monster forces New Orleans coffee shop's latte name change
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CR Coffee Shop's Bayou Beast latte was previously known as the Swamp Monster and inspired this Muses shoe. Photos: Courtesy of Kevin Pedeaux
The most popular drink at CR Coffee Shop has a new name thanks to a series of cease and desist letters from Monster Energy, shop owner Kevin Pedeaux says.
Why it matters: It's a David vs. Goliath story that ends with David laughing off the whole thing — well, mostly.
Flashback: Like many coffee shop owners who live in the seasonal shadow of Starbucks' behemoth pumpkin spice latte, Pedeaux wanted to come up with a fall drink for his shop.
- But "in August, we're still in the middle of hurricane season. It's hot as hell. We're not doing" hot drinks, he says.
- In 2020 or 2021, Pedeaux says, he created a mix of iced coffee, milk and pandan flavoring he felt was perfect for early fall in New Orleans.
- Pandan is green. Mixing it with brown coffee inspired the drink's name: the Swamp Monster.
"It was a hit," he tells Axios New Orleans. "It was absolutely rolling."
- The seasonal drink grew so popular that a Muses rider decorated a shoe in its honor, and the shoe was later gifted to the Magazine Street coffee shop.
Yes, but: Not everyone was on board.
- When Pedeaux filed trademark paperwork for his company, he threw in details about the Swamp Monster, too.
- He quickly received a cease and desist letter from Monster Energy, which said Pedeaux's latte violated its trademark.
State of play: Pedeaux was shocked, and though he doesn't personally see the merits of Monster's argument, he's not fighting back, either. Pedeaux estimated it would cost about $10,000 in legal fees, and that's a lot of lattes to sell and not even be sure of a win.
- Instead, he laughed it off and just renamed the latte last year. Now, it's known as the Bayou Beast.
The latest: Pedeaux figured that was the end, but then Monster sent another cease and desist order last month after finding the phrase "unleash the beast" on an Instagram post with the latte's new branding.
- It turns out Monster Energy owns that phrase, too.
The bottom line: The Bayou Beast is available now and will be through Oct. 31.
- Plus, it's still popular, but Pedeaux's being more careful about promoting it, especially after finding other stories about the company fiercely protecting its trademark.
- "We're on [Monster's] radar now," Pedeaux says.