Danny Evans joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour to talk about a shift happening in plain sight: Gen Z is drinking less alcohol and building new lifestyle habits around coffee instead. As one of the people building 27 Club Coffee, Machine Gun Kelly's coffee brand, Danny Evans has a close-up view of how culture, not just caffeine, is driving that change.
The conversation moves from generational habits to the practical side of building a brand people actually want to spend time in, covering everything from product quality and sustainability to what makes a celebrity-backed brand feel authentic instead of like a cash grab.
About Danny Evans
Danny Evans works on 27 Club Coffee, the coffee brand founded by Machine Gun Kelly that blends streetwear, music, and a quality-first approach to coffee. The brand's identity leans into culture and community as much as the product itself, a positioning Evans discusses in detail with Sean Kelly.
Evans brings a builder's perspective to the conversation, speaking to the day-to-day realities of shaping a celebrity brand into something with staying power, from sourcing decisions like plastic-free pods to creating physical spaces where customers want to gather.
What Danny Evans and Sean Kelly Talked About
- Why Gen Z is walking away from alcohol as a cultural centerpiece
- How coffee is becoming a lifestyle statement instead of just a morning habit
- What most traditional coffee brands get wrong with younger audiences
- Why 27 Club Coffee leans on streetwear and music instead of typical coffee branding
- The case against plastic coffee pods and for higher-quality ingredients
- What it actually takes to make a celebrity-backed brand feel authentic
- Why building physical spaces matters as much as the product for community
- How vision, not chasing trends, drives long-term brand decisions
Why This Conversation Matters
As celebrity brands multiply, 27 Club Coffee stands out for treating culture and quality as inseparable, and Danny Evans's conversation with Sean Kelly is a useful blueprint for anyone building a lifestyle brand instead of just merchandise. It's a grounded look at what it takes to earn a younger generation's loyalty.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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