NFTs or ‘Non-Fungible Tokens’ are the latest craze to take the art world by storm; powered by the same blockchain technology behind bitcoin.

Now, Stella Artois, part of the Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I portfolio, is unveiling the world’s first “tipping” NFT, with 100% of the proceeds from the original sale and 10% royalties of each subsequent resale going towards bar staff tips for the UK hospitality industry.

Available to bid on at auction from May 4th via Rarible, the ‘Non-Fungible Tip’ will open at £1 to reflect Stella Artois’ current ‘Stella Tips’ campaign, which is tipping £1 to bar staff tips for every pint of Stella Artois served between April 12th and May 9th.

The first beer brand to join the NFT hype, this new drop will feature four striking pieces of visual art; ‘Infinite Skim’, which pays homage to Stella Artois’ iconic serve, ‘Neverending Tip’, a visual representation of the Non-Fungible Tip, ‘The Life Artois’, and ‘Spin’, a nod towards the £1 tip generated with the purchase of each pint of Stella Artois.

These four pieces will be available to bid on until May 9th, when as the ‘Stella Tips’ campaign draws to a close, the collection of ‘Non-Fungible Tips’ will continue to generate revenue for the hospitality industry in the form of an ‘endless tip’. The money raised will be donated to Licensed Trade Charity,enabling them to continue supporting the wellbeing of hospitality staff long into the future.

Welcoming the return of the hospitality industry with a monumental celebration for the people behind the bar, the Stella Tips initiative is set to meet its target of generating £500k in tips, rewarding staff who have suffered a tough 12 months of closings, curfews and furloughs.

Ali Humphrey, European Marketing Director for Stella Artois says: “Britain’s pubs are the cornerstones of our communities, and it’s the people behind the bar who bring us together, with a welcoming smile and pint in hand.

The last 12 months have been particularly hard on this workforce, with one important issue being the lack of their usual customer tips.

We want to put tipping back on the agenda. That’s why Stella Artois have launched the world’s first Non-Fungible Tips as NFTs, to encourage consumers to rally up their support for the industry whilst getting their hands on a limited edition collector’s item.”