We Will Collective raises Iowa State NIL funds through cold brew

For the second time this summer, We Will Collective announced the launch of a licensed beverage that will help raise NIL funds for Iowa State athletes. The collective announced Wednesday a partnership with the Des Moines, Iowa-based coffee company Northern Vessel for the production of We Will Cold Brew.

A four-pack of We Will Cold Brew will retail for $20 and the collective will receive a portion of the proceeds. The collective will receive roughly $0.50 per can sold, according to We Will Collective Executive Director Brent Blum.

“Man, that’ll add up if you can go across the nation,” Blum said in a phone interview.

We Will Cold Brew will be available starting in the fall, primarily online but also in the state. Blum said the initial run is scheduled to include roughly 75,000 cans.

“My thinking is, you know you go to an airport, other than alcohol what’s the most consumed thing?” Blum said. “It’s coffee. So that was the whole genesis of it. But at the end of the day, the great thing about this is it can be shipped nationwide, where alcohol cannot. So there are 250,000 Iowa State alumni and the majority are out of the state of Iowa. So, how do we get them to help, too?

“And so we’re like, ‘Well, shoot. Let’s ship coffee across state lines.'”

The unveiling of We Will Cold Brew follows the collective’s announcement in June that it partnered with the brewery West O Beer to brew Ames Lager. Blum previously said the collective will receive “a few dollars” for each case of beer sold.

“Little things like this really do add up,” Blum said.

The @WeWillCllective and Northern Vessel are proud to bring you the ultimate canned cold brew experience. 🤝

Together, We Will.

Available this fall. 👀https://t.co/cJnzLWoDI4 pic.twitter.com/roNKoJcYxg

— Northern Vessel (@nvcoldbrew) August 9, 2023

Licensed consumables increasingly popular for NIL funds

Licensed beers have become a popular new revenue source for collectives seeking sustainable fundraising models. For years, universities and athletic departments have explored licensed consumables for supplementary revenue and to promote a school’s marketing efforts.

Collectives are now doing the same.

The revenue splits vary based on the agreement between a collective and the partner brewery, but they have the potential to result in up to tens of thousands of dollars in revenue per month for a collective.

The licensed beers are typically light beers, such as an ale or lager, brewed by a popular brewery in the state. Leaders of collectives promote the beers as a way for fans to support a school’s athletes while tailgating. If a collective, a brewery and a school’s multimedia rights holder can navigate licensing and vendor contracts, the beers can be made available inside a school’s football stadium, such as at West Virginia‘s Milan Puskar Stadium.

We Will Collective provided samples of Ames Lager at RAGBRAI, which stands for Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Blum said the collective is targeting Aug. 25 for the official, statewide launch, when the beer will be available for purchase.

“The people at West O – this is pretty cool – they received so much interest from their distributors that they’ve actually purchased three of those massive brewery tanks just to dedicate to Ames Lager,” Blum said. “And they’re planning an expansion of their brewery because the reception has been that great.”

Blum said some fans might be willing to reallocate part of their existing budget to co-branded products that support a collective.

“What I’m learning is people may not have $10 a month but they buy coffee so this just replaces their coffee budget,” Blum said. “And it’s a little bit easier for their discretionary income. They don’t feel like they’re adding onto their budget. It’s just part of their budget then.”