TRU Partners With National Distributors
Functional wellness brand Tru is expanding its distribution throughout New England, with a focus on its home state of Massachusetts. Roche Bros Supermarkets recently began carrying three of the brand’s canned offerings after they joined UNFI’s UpNext program. Additionally, the functional wellness seltzer is now on the shelf at over 70 convenience and independent grocery stores, Total Wine locations and Crossfit gyms in the state.
“We are trying to grow smart as opposed to fast. For us it’s important that we own our own backyard and continue to support the retailers that support us,” said founder and CEO Jack McNamara. “When we launched in 2015 we made the mistake of getting into as many stores as possible and praying that the product moves. The biggest lesson we have learned over the past six years is that success is a function of product quality, but it’s also a function of relationships and executing on the street.”
Tru launched in cans in March after the prototype received a positive response during meetings with buyers from Market Basket. The line is available in six different flavors – orange mango, apple kiwi, watermelon, cherry berry, blackberry and pineapple – in 12-packs for $29.99. Market Basket will carry all six SKUs on the shelf through UNFI.
According to McNamara, Tru has also joined KeHE’s “New @KeHE” program and will soon be shipping to 14 of its distribution centers across the country. He said it’s “a little scary” for his brand and close-knit team as they step up into national distribution over the next year, but that he’s also less focused on store count than he is on getting into the “right stores” while still being able to support existing retailers
With another funding round on the horizon and more meetings with retailers already on the calendar, McNamara emphasized that Tru’s goal is to grow in a smart and sustainable way.
“The way we view it is that Gatorade essentially created the sports drink category and Red Bull essentially created the energy drink category alongside Monster,” said McNamara. “Everything we have been reading over the course of the last six years is “who is going to be that functional wellness brand that takes over” and our goal is truly to be that.”
Weird Beverages Signs First DSD Partner
Weird Beverages, a Texas-based tea and water brand founded this year by a triage of former Rockstar Energy executives, has signed its first distributor agreement with Molson Coors DSD house Capitol Wright Distribution.
The company’s Weird Tea soft launched this spring in about 40 stores in Southern California and Texas, but the new partnership marks the brand’s first major expansion, according to co-founder and CEO Jason May. Capitol will carry the brand’s entire portfolio including four Weird Tea SKUs and also two varieties of Weird Water.
Set to roll out in July, May said he expects Weird to be available in over 1,000 doors in the greater Austin area by Labor Day. The launch will be accompanied by a locally-targeted digital ad campaign and a “very aggressive” street team focused on grassroots sampling activity.
May said the company is currently in discussions with numerous Texas retail chains and is “in great shape listing with some very significant and strong” accounts.
“We believe getting consumers to try the drinks firsthand is the key to success for Weird Tea, so we will be aggressively blitzing all summer to get cold cans into hands across the great city of Austin at events, at retail, and in the streets,” May said.
Jones Soda Announces Partnership With Food Broker
Jones Soda Co. has announced a new partnership with Prime Sales & Marketing to help expand its existing presence in Walmart stores and secure shelf space at Sam’s Club. The partnership is part of the company’s strategic growth plan and comes after the brand’s recent launch of a 12-bottle variety pack.
“There are multiple opportunities for growing our Walmart business, both on the mass market front with Walmart itself and in the club channel through Sam’s Club,” said Mark Murray, President and CEO of Jones Soda in a press release. “With their deep understanding of Walmart operations and strong track record with its supplier partners, the Prime team is ideally positioned to help us build our brand presence, awareness and sales with the #1 retailer in the U.S. market, while also advancing our efforts in the e-commerce space.”
Jones Soda is currently available in four-packs at 624 Walmart stores across 45 states. The purpose of this partnership is to increase the in-store variety of Jones’ brand, expand mobile and online sales and establish an agreement with Sam’s Club for distribution of the new multi-packs.
Take Two Expands to Sprouts
Upcycled food brand Take Two is now available at Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide. The rollout includes the brand’s refrigerated 40 oz. Barleymilk SKUs available in Original and Unsweetened flavors. Additionally, Sprouts will carry three shelf-stable Barleymilk offerings and Take Two’s barista blend which are both set to launch this summer at the retailer’s 360 stores this summer.
“We are thrilled to launch Take Two Barleymilk with Sprouts,” said co-founder and CEO, Jerek Theo Lovey in a press release. “Building a sustainable and circular food system requires a deep collaboration with industry leaders to solve the real challenges we are facing. Take Two’s partnership with Sprouts will result in over 100,000 pounds of spent grain saved the first year. As Take Two grows, so will our impact.”
Take Two Barleymilk is also available in the Pacific Northwest at Whole Foods, New Seasons, Metropolitan Market, Market of Choice, Berkeley Bowl and New Leaf Community Markets as well as for home delivery through Imperfect Foods.