Anheuser-Busch has pulled the plug on Travis Scott’s Cacti hard seltzer line. The brewing company announced the discontinuation in a statement on Friday.
“After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision,” a rep said in a statement.
As Rolling Stone points out, the brand’s social media pages have already been removed, and the original Cacti announcement has been deleted from Anheuser-Busch’s website.
Though the beverage maker didn’t cite the Astroworld tragedy as a reason for discontinuing Cacti hard seltzer, sales didn’t seem to be an issue. When the drink first hit the market in March 2021, it quickly sold out online and stores had a hard time keeping it stocked. “Several of them are saying that they have never seen anything like this before: sold out within one day,” CEO Michel Doukeris told CNBC at the time.
The partnership ran until Nov. 30, at which point both sides made a “mutual” decision to cease production of Cacti hard seltzer.
“Travis was clear in his interview that he is not focused on business right now and his priority is helping his community and fans heal,” the rep said, referring to Scott’s first interview since the tragedy. “Cacti asked AB InBev to inform their wholesalers there will not be product at this time.”
This is the first major branding deal Scott has lost in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy, which claimed the lives of nine people. The rapper has been hit with nearly 300 lawsuits in the month that’s passed, and he’s vowed to pay for the victims’ funeral expenses.
“I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution,” Scott said in an interview earlier this week. “Hopefully this takes a first step for us as artists, having more insight about what’s going on.”
