00:00Baron Trump just launched an energy drink.
00:02A 12-pack costs $39.
00:04So why does a 20-year-old think people will pay double the price of a Red Bull for a
00:08can of tea?
00:09Here's what's happening.
00:10Baron Trump is one of five founders of Solos Yerba Mate,
00:13a Florida brand that launched in May.
00:15The founders are all South Florida friends in their late teens and early 20s
00:18who raised about a million dollars before launch.
00:21The debut product is a single pineapple coconut flavor
00:24made with organic Brazilian Yerba Mate, cane sugar, honey, and monk fruit.
00:28At $39 a 12-pack, that's about $3.25 a can.
00:33And since launch, that $39 price tag has become the entire story online.
00:37Beverage industry guides say that small runs, organic sourcing, and direct-to-consumer sales
00:42push prices way above what you'd typically see on store shelves.
00:45Industry estimates put the basic cost per can around 50 cents,
00:49with the rest covering packaging, freight, and brand positioning.
00:52So some of that markup is simply just the cost of being small and new.
00:55But the Daily Beast and Rolling Stone play Solos within a broader pattern of Trump family ventures
01:01that charge a premium just for the family name.
01:03That pattern includes $60 Trump Bibles, the $499 Trump mobile phone,
01:09and crypto ventures from Don Jr. and Eric that ethics watchdogs say
01:12brought the family hundreds of millions of dollars in a year.
01:15Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund calls ventures like these
01:19a way to influence a sitting president through his family.
01:22But its defenders have a blunt answer on the cost.
01:24If you can't afford it, it was never made for you.
01:27So is this a startup finding its footing, or a famous name finding its price?
01:31Drop your take in the comments and follow us here for more.
