It started with a bottle of something fiery and a very boozy evening in. Now Brooklyn Beckham is standing on a stage at one of New York's most prestigious festivals, talking up his hot sauce empire — and admitting he's essentially been off the clock for half a decade.
The Drunk Kitchen Origin Story
Speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday as part of the From Passion to Product: Building a Culinary Brand That Lasts panel, the 27-year-old son of David and Victoria Beckham made a candid confession about the state of his working life — and how he stumbled into the condiment business.
'Four years ago I was trying to work out what I wanted to do with my life, what I wanted to do for work. Basically my wife and I got really drunk in our apartment while making hot sauce. I watched a short little video on how to make it and the next day I tried it again. I really wanted to see what I could create.'
That tipsy kitchen session with actress wife Nicola Peltz Beckham, 31, apparently lit a fire under Brooklyn that photography, modelling and a series of eyebrow-raising cooking videos never quite managed. The result was Cloud23, a high-end organic hot sauce brand launched in 2024 with two flavours — hot habanero and sweet jalapeño — retailing at £15 each. It launched exclusively at Whole Foods in the US and is now stocked at Erewhon, Amazon and Planet Organic.
'I Can Come Across as Annoying Sometimes'
Brooklyn appeared on stage alongside Cloud23 CEO Jeff Day and was refreshingly self-aware about his hands-on — some might say relentless — approach to the brand. He told the audience: 'I'm always calling the CEO on Sunday at 10pm with a crazy idea of what direction we might go in or a condiment idea. I'll call with a ridiculous idea. I can come across as annoying sometimes.'
Whether Jeff Day agrees is a matter for another panel entirely. But there's no questioning Brooklyn's enthusiasm. When Cloud23 launched, he declared it was something he had 'literally put everything into' and that he'd 'never worked so hard on anything in my life' — which makes his claim of not having worked in five years all the more striking, even if the spirit of the comment is clearly about finding his true calling rather than lounging about.
Fame, Fortune and Feuds
Of course, Brooklyn has never exactly been short of a safety net. His parents' combined wealth is estimated at around £1.185 billion, while his wife is the daughter of American billionaire investor Nelson Peltz. Brooklyn's own net worth is reported to be in the region of $10 million (approximately £7.48 million). So the pressure to clock in every morning has, admittedly, been rather limited.
Still, Brooklyn has been through a very public journey trying to carve out his own identity — from photographer to model to aspiring Michelin-style chef. His Cookin' With Brooklyn series raised more than a few eyebrows in 2022 when it was reported that an eight-minute episode featuring a bagel sandwich cost $100,000 (£74.8k) to produce and required a crew of 62. More recently he's said to be pursuing a career as a Formula E driver, so cloud23 may yet have some competition for his Sunday evening phone calls.
Away from the hot sauce headlines, Brooklyn's relationship with his parents has remained the bigger story of 2025. In January, he released a bombshell statement on Instagram in which he accused David and Victoria of always putting 'Brand Beckham' first, claimed they had tried 'endlessly to ruin' his relationship with Nicola, and stated he did 'not want to reconcile' with them. Victoria has since spoken carefully about parenthood in interviews, telling the Times that there is 'a big difference between supporting your children and forcing them' — without addressing the rift directly.
For now, Brooklyn seems focused on the sauce. And honestly? After years of career detours, a drunk kitchen experiment and a CEO who presumably screens his calls on Sunday evenings, it might just be the one that sticks.
