Kids food and beverage startup Plezi has brought on experienced CPG executive Leah Dunmore to lead the brand as it launches in Target this week.
With Dunmore just a few weeks into her new role as its CEO and president, the Washington, D.C.-based brand is taking on the mission of “raising a healthier generation” with the introduction of its debut product — a 4-SKU line of nutrient-enhanced, low-sugar fruit drinks sold in 4-packs of 8 oz. bottles for $3.89 — on Target.com and in 1,828 Target stores nationwide.
All four flavors — Tropical Punch, Orange Smash, Sour Apple and Blueberry Blast — contain 22% fruit juice from concentrate and are sweetened with monkfruit and stevia for 6 total grams of sugar per serving (no added sugar). Each 8 oz. bottle contains 35 calories and 100% DV of Vitamin C, as well as potassium, magnesium and zinc. That’s a smaller format from the 10 oz. bottles in which Plezi debuted at 398 Sprouts stores late last year, though the flavors remain the same.
With sugar consumption of particular concern for children, Plezi is one of several brands positioning themselves as a better-for-you option for kids, a set which ranges from strategic-backed brands like Honest Kids and Juicy Juice to smaller ventures like Star Water and Shine Water. Pepsi has dabbled in the space with Frutly, its electrolyte-boosted juice drink for teens introduced in 2021, though its current availability is unclear. Plezi, which is working with incubation house L.A. Libations, touts 75% less sugar than the average leading 100% fruit juices, according to the company.
Speaking with BevNET earlier this week, Plezi’s new CEO described the move as “destiny” after a career spent developing wellness-focused brands for large strategics like Hair Celestial, Kraft and Mars. She arrives at the company from Delica North America, a subsidiary of Migros Group of Switzerland, where she had been working as CEO and President since 2020.
A mother herself, Dunmore framed the opportunity as “bigger than just products” as the company seeks to educate parents on how to raise healthy children.
“This is a way to really leverage my experience in an environment where I’m able to be an entrepreneur,” she explained. “And without necessarily starting my own business, I feel as though I’m putting a lot of skin in the game and it is my business. So it’s very motivating and it’s a lot of fun.”
In contrast to her previous work experience, which focused more on tapping into consumer insights and building an idea, Dunmore noted her new role at Plezi will be oriented towards aligning employees behind collective goals and executing on established strategy.
“If people are inspired and motivated, then they’re going to go beyond the call of duty,” she said. “They’re going to bring things that you didn’t even know they had the ability to bring if they’re motivated. And what I bring is that leadership and how to build a team where there’s trust and we have each other’s backs.”
Dunmore said beverage was an “obvious place to start” for Plezi, as reflected in a consumer survey of 6,000 moms asking for more healthy options. From a product perspective, Plezi aims to differentiate itself through the inclusion of 2 grams of prebiotic fiber per 8 oz. bottle. But its marketing approach will seek to define the drink as “one of the best alternatives” to water or milk for young kids and emphasize that Plezi is “not here to replace that” but rather to convert users from soda and fruit juices.
By the time new innovations, including snacks, are introduced “over the next couple of years,” Plezi’s goal is to have established national distribution to make the product available “anywhere (kids) can buy a soda.” As the platform grows, the idea is to age alongside consumers; the drinks’ target age range is 6 to 12 years old, with different packaging and formats being explored for the 12-17 age group.