Catfight Coffee was founded by Acey Slade, a beloved figure in rock ‘n’ roll circles. Slade has played with famous bands such as the Misfits, Trashlight Vision, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and has just completed a tour with industrial-tinged metal band Dope. Catfight was born out of necessity during the COVID lockdowns when tours were cancelled, and the income of musicians was affected. In an interview, Slade said that he always loved coffee since he was a kid in Pennsylvania. As he got older, he searched for coffee places in different cities where he and his bandmates could hang out, and he could indulge his passion for good coffee. He believes that independent coffee shops are a hub of artistic culture.
Slade’s experience in music, marketing and promotion proved invaluable when he started branding Catfight. The company has three music-themed coffees available for purchase – Murderdolls and Misfits brews, plus an Alice Cooper coffee. For the Misfits coffee, they went with a red velvet flavor to complement the band’s Crimson Ghost mascot. The Murderdolls coffee is white chocolate, a flavor inspired by the band’s cover of Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding,’ and the Misfits coffee, which the band drank a lot, includes rum and raspberries. Slade emphasized that they chose flavors that were in the natural wheelhouse of what coffee tastes like, so a lot of thought went into the taste of the coffee, which complemented the brand it’s paired with.
Aside from music, Catfight also scored a licensing deal with the Evil Dead movie and TV franchise, which is “on brand” with the horror theme. Slade said that getting the contract wasn’t too hard, but nailing down how the bag should look and all the branding was harder, and he respects that the Evil Dead people were very picky about Bruce Campbell’s image. Slade said that he has plans for future coffee collaborations, but he doesn’t want Catfight to be solely known as a company that makes music/movie brews. He said that they will probably move away from that in the coming years, and they have some fun ideas that they want to do. Slade emphasized that they are using the branding of Misfits, Alice Cooper, and Murderdolls to get people through the front door of Catfight, but they want Catfight to be its own thing.
The COVID pandemic caused a devastating effect on many people and industries. The music industry was among the worst hit. The audience had already determined that it would no longer pay for recorded music, and musicians were put in jeopardy when touring was halted for a few years. Some people staged merch drives, set up GoFundMe accounts, and streamed shows. People did what they could.
Acey Slade, founder of Catfight Coffee, was one of those musicians who found an alternative way to make a living. The loss of income due to the COVID lockdowns led him and his wife, Mei-Ling, to start Catfight Coffee. The idea was to create a coffee company that could provide Slade with an additional form of income during these uncertain times.
Slade’s experience in the music industry proved helpful in launching Catfight Coffee. He knew the importance of branding, and his experience in marketing and promotion gave him an edge. Catfight Coffee offers three music-themed coffees, namely Murderdolls and Misfits brews, plus an Alice Cooper coffee. These coffees are available for purchase and are inspired by the bands’ music and image.
