Superfood beverage brand Blume is headed to Target.
Founded in 2017, the brand is known for its best-selling powdered drinks, including Blue Lavender, Salted Caramel, Matcha Coconut, and Reishi Hot Cacao, all priced at $13 for eight single-serve pouches. Each formula is infused with superfood ingredients like antioxidant-rich blue spirulina, potassium-rich moringa, and calming reishi mushrooms. Now, the Canada-based brand is doubling down on its presence in the U.S. with four of his most popular products in the U.S. (according to the brand’s direct-to-consumer data) at Target 90 locations along the West Coast. We are participating in some places.
Karen Dhanujaja, co-founder and CEO of Blume, said the target was to “see how the brand is performing and whether national or regional expansion is warranted.” , we plan to test the brand in different regions and the time is now to do so.”
The expansion comes as Target is making significant inroads into wellness, with plans to launch 1,000 new wellness products in 2024. The retailer’s recent focus has been on ingestible supplements from brands such as Hum Nutrition, O Positiv, and now Blume. You can purchase it at the coffee and tea corner in the store.
“Target is building this amazing wellness curation,” Dhanujaja said. “They were building out this home latte set that had coffee alternatives and more matcha and functional ingredients, so we felt it was a great opportunity to meet new customers.”
The brand is now available at 4,000 doors across North America, including major retailers in Canada. like loblow, The brand is shifting its focus to the US market. Another initiative includes increased sampling through consumer shows and partnerships with brands like Lululemon, which will launch at Lululemon Races.
“You need education on how to make it, when to use it, and how to use it,” Dhanujaja said, adding that education is key to expanding the brand.
Bloom has also seen early success in the U.S. with a launch in Erewhon and a smoothie partnership with grocer and social media personality Tink’s.
Functional drinks and foods are gaining traction across wellness. According to a research report by the Kerry Group, 65 percent of Americans want more functionality from their food. Additionally, functional drinks like the TikTok-famous Sleepy Girl Mocktail have become famous in the wellness world, and clean coffee and coffee alternatives are also gaining traction.
“In the last few years, we’ve become really confident in this category. We’re seeing coffee alternatives growing. We’re seeing superfoods growing. We are seeing this,” Dhanujaja said. “Consumers have increasingly high expectations of food.”
As the functional food and beverage space continues to grow, flavor will become a key differentiator, Dhanujaja said, which is why brands are leading the way by incorporating flavor into product names.
“Bloom’s mission is to make gentler rituals more accessible,” Dhanujaja said, adding that the taste has to be enjoyable to attract customers. “Our hope is to bring new people into this category.” [and] Introduce them to superfoods. ”
According to industry insiders, retail sales from the brand’s Target launch are expected to reach $300,000, putting Bloom overall on track for its first eight-digit growth in 2024, up 30% year over year. It is said that there is.