The Beast is back… with chocolate bars. Over the past month, MrBeast (a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson) has relaunched his chocolate bar line Feastables with a promise that this second iteration is, in fact, “the best tasting chocolate ever made by mankind.” The YouTube celebrity announced the launch in a three minute video (of course) that chronicles his quest to one-up the first product’s position – tasting better than Hershey’s – and answer the question “if everything tastes better than Hershey’s, then what makes us special?” Donaldson claims over the course of the past year (which included trying hundreds of formulas and hosting a blind taste test), he has achieved his gastronomical goal. He also worked with Interact Brands on a packaging redesign to better reflect the flavor, product and help the “brand stand out and resonate even more,” said Interact creative director and partner Fred Hart in a post. ⏪ A quick rewind: Feastables debuted in January 2022 with a 3-SKU line of chocolate bars. A year later, the lineup was expanded to include peanut butter filled variety, Deez Nuts. But the new SKU got into a bit of trouble with gourmet peanut business Dee’s Nuts which sued Donaldson for trademark infringement, and won. The new version comes in seven now-guaranteed-controversy-free flavors: Milk Chocolate, Milk Crunch, Almond, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Crunch, Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt. The products are available at Walmart stores nationwide. 🍔 Over the past year, Donaldson has been pushed to defend his brands, businesses and likeness in multiple arenas. The influencer opened and has since shuttered virtual restaurant chain MrBeast Burgers after customers received uncooked products and reported numerous other quality issues. Donaldson called out the burger chain’s operator, Virtual Dining Concepts, and is now engaged in a legal dispute over that matter. 🧬 But just how closely is Feastable’s tied to Donaldson’s personal brand? The Youtuber built a following for not only posting about extreme challenges, but also infusing those competitions with philanthropic and humanitarian efforts – like building one hundred wells in Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Zimbabwe (though he even received some criticism for that one too). 🍫 We aren’t here to pick sides in a lawsuit or offer brand building advice, but given Donaldson’s humanitarian track record, we were left wondering why the chocolate bar line is so narrowly – and subjectively – positioned around taste. With a multitude of ethical and environmental issues surrounding the chocolate supply chain, why hasn’t the company, which uses Rainforest Alliance-certified chocolate, leaned into the humanitarian half of its creator’s public persona with the new product position? 🎮 He has even gamified the new packaging with a QR code that enters purchasers into a competition to win $10k. But nowhere on that same pack (or its website) does the brand mention the chocolate’s sourcing principles. Is simply being MrBeast, and claiming to sell the best tasting chocolate in the world, enough to build a successful and sustainable business? 📥 We’d love to hear your thoughts – is this a missed opportunity or strategic sidestep? Let me know at adeluca@bevnet.com. | 
