California based supplements brand Nouri is branching out into the beverage set with its latest innovation, Inner Immune, a line of immunobiotic functional drinks intended to promote gut health and immunity.
Available in 12 oz. cans, Inner Immune is a zero calorie functional drink made with 500% of daily vitamins, prebiotics, and immunobiotics (also known as “postbiotics”), which are heat-killed microorganisms that boost the immune system and can reduce the severity of upper respiratory tract infections. The line comes in Watermelon Lime, Blackberry Lemon and Orange Zest flavors.
According to Nouri founder and CEO Caroline Beckman, the drinks rolled out to select natural channel retailers in late 2021 and are sold for $2.99 per can and the company is now preparing to expand the line to several major chains in the coming weeks. The products are also sold online direct-to-consumer for $35 per 12-pack.
Inner Immune was previously launched as a powder mix product, Beckman said, but strong demand for a ready-to-drink version prompted the startup to make the extension in the beverage category – a sector that Beckman knows well.
“Right now, what we’re seeing still is a lot of products [on the market] that are really geared to be quick fixes that sort of rev up your immune system when you’re already sick, and that’s not the way that any of Nouri’s products are built,” she said. “They’re really built on getting to the root core of the issue, which is gut health. So we see there still being a really good opportunity to communicate that you don’t rev up your immune system, you build it from the inside out.”
Beckman began her CPG career in 2012 at cold-pressed juice brand Suja, where she would ultimately serve as VP of special projects before leaving in 2015 to co-found RTD probiotic smoothie brand Nomva. While Nomva ultimately shut its doors two years later, the launch of Nouri provided Beckman with a higher margin product line that could be more easily shipped online.
“I’ve been in the beverage industry before, so I knew the pros and cons of going into it,” she said. “You know, margins are different with beverage versus supplements, but I really just believed that even though this is a very crowded market there’s still a big opportunity to continue to develop and to continue to push the boundaries of what we could do within gut health and immune health.”
In 2020, Nouri launched its capsules into retail nationwide and the brand’s flagship line is now expected to be in up to 3,000 doors by the end of the year with plans to double its footprint in 2023. But with RTD beverages, Beckman believes the brand can reach a broader audience.
The launch comes as consumers continue to prioritize immunity-boosting food and beverages, while prebiotic sodas and kombucha have messaged heavily around gut health. However, brands have frequently struggled to connect gut health with immunity in the minds of consumers despite scientific evidence backing up the claim. For Nouri, the brand is hoping to make the connection as clear as possible, adopting the tagline “It Takes Guts to Feel Good.”
In particular, Beckman also believes Nouri can also weave itself into consumers’ daily routines more easily than products like kombucha, noting the still beverage’s taste profile is similar to a sports drink, but more flavorful and without sugar.
“I drink a lot of kombucha, but the average kombucha drinker is only drinking it less than 10 times a year,” she said. “And so you’re seeing a lot of the innovation within that category trying to increase that usage by putting other functionalities into the drinks. It makes sense, it’s a smart move. And so what we’re seeing is a big opportunity to get the word out by focusing on daily immunity because again, it’s a huge category, and then also just focusing on things that people are going for every single day, like vitamins and energy. So it’s a little bit more of a broader approach.”
As the beverage makes its way into national retail, Beckman said Nouri will implement “the standard media strategy” to promote the launch, including radio, podcasts and brand sponsorships to grow awareness. The company has also hired a new operations and logistics leader and opened up a new warehouse in Orange County, California to manage the expansion. She noted that Nouri has previously raised money and is currently exploring additional fundraising opportunities.
Looking ahead, Nouri is also preparing to add a kids drink to the line later this year, Beckman said.
“Our capsule line is scaling very fast right now and then we want to get the beverage out and do it well, so we’ve got a lot going on at once,” she said. “But the kids’ line is gonna be really interesting. We see a lot of great opportunity within the functional beverage space for kids.”