The Curious Consumer

Supplement brands are lying to you.

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week, we have one of our most fascinating interviews yet: Dr. Mastaneh Sharafi, SVP of Science & Innovation at Ritual, a supplement company known for its science-backed formulas. She’ll be answering some of our biggest questions around the most controversial category in CPG: supplements. Let’s get into it! Quick note: There’s some background clicking noise in the first few minutes, but it goes away quickly! Stick with us, it’ll be worth it :) Share feedback on the pod! [https://forms.gle/RfoJo4UGbW5iEwBS7] The breakdown:0:00 Intro + Dr. Sharafi’s background 1:58 Ritual’s evolution and mission3:59 Evaluating efficacy claims & misinformation13:11 Women-specific supplements & clinical trials18:43 Why people turn to supplements23:02 Why Ritual doesn’t make gummies…25:45 Consumer demand and innovation29:22 Four ways to spot misinformation in supplement marketing 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Calm your mind, one beverage at a time

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Stacey Hartnett, SVP of Marketing at Chomps to talk about their biggest product launch yet: chicken sticks. Then, we dive into the week’s biggest CPG news. The L-theanine and caffeine combo taking over the functional beverage space, colostrum soda, the booming luxury laundry detergent category, and more. Let’s get into it! Share feedback on the pod! [https://forms.gle/RfoJo4UGbW5iEwBS7] Check out our deep dive on L-theanine: https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/everyone-needs-to-calm-down [https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/everyone-needs-to-calm-down] The breakdown:0:00 Interview with Stacey Hartnett, SVPof Marketing at Chomps12:43 Feedback & podcast updates from our offsite13:19 The L-theanine + caffeine trend27:01 Armra's colostrum soda30:43 Popwtr: Lemon Perfect founder's new sparkling water bet37:27 Luxury laundry45:08 Thayers' creator-led product launch and what brands should learn from it51:04 Wrap up 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The THC loophole (and why it could close...)

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of Suri (short for Sustainable Rituals)—the UK-based electric toothbrush brand that caught Gwyneth Paltrow’s eye organically before landing in Erewhon, and now Target stores nationwide. (Check out our piece on UK brands entering the US [https://expresscheckout.substack.com/p/the-british-brands-are-coming]!) We also cover the week's biggest CPG news—new updates to the THC regulatory saga, Beyond Meat's pivot into beverage, Gatorade's biggest refresh in 60 years, and the Finnish Long Drink's $325M acquisition by the makers of White Claw. Let's get into it! The breakdown: 0:00 Interview with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of SURI14:30 Recap on our 4/20 event!18:01 Updates on the THC ban + new proposed regulation28:03 Beyond Meat’s pivot into… protein soda?32:20 Gatorade’s newest brand refresh35:40 Why White Claw owners are betting on The Finnish Long Drink Check out our full interview with Long Drink co-founder Evan Burns here: https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-best-drink-youve-never-heard [https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-best-drink-youve-never-heard] 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The best drink you've never heard of

This week, we're sharing the second episode of our interview series, Brand’s Biggest Fan—featuring Evan Burns, CEO and Co-founder of The Finnish Long Drink—and Long Drink's biggest fan, DJ [https://www.instagram.com/longdrinklovers/]!We (admittedly) recorded this a few months ago, but were excited to share it today after the news of Long Drink's acquisition [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-mark-anthony-group-of-companies-announces-plans-to-acquire-the-finnish-long-drink-302740565.html] by the Mark Anthony Group of Companies, the company behind category-defining beverages including White Claw and Mike's Hard Lemonade.With this new acquisition, and Mark Anthony Group's goal of expansion throughout North America, you can now expect to see this bev everywhere. So, we decided it was time to share some of the behind-the-scenes of who built this company... and who's been evangelizing it.Buckle in for a great ep, where Evan shares the real, unsexy truth behind building a brand worth a multimillion dollar acquisition in just 4 years.The Breakdown00:00 Background on Long Drink06:11 Meet DJ, Long Drink's biggest fan08:23 How DJ discovered Long Drink16:30 Evan on fans, marketing & distribution20:49 Building a national brand (distro strategy + celeb investors)31:15 The future of Long Drink Follow us! Express Checkout - https://www.instagram.com/expresscheckout/ DJ Waldow (aka Long Drink Lover) - https://www.instagram.com/longdrinklovers/ 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Keeping up with the Kardashians…CPG launches

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Daniel Solomons, CEO of Update [http://drinkupdate.com]—the caffeine-free energy drink that caught Kim Kardashian’s eye organically before she became a full creative partner. We break down the science behind paraxanthine, the surprise of 4,000+ Walmart doors, and what it means to build a brand around a completely new ingredient. We also cover every Kardashian-Jenner in CPG this week (yes, all of them)—Kylie’s pivot from vodka soda to beauty hydration powder K2O, Khloe’s new Khloud protein tortilla chips, and Lemme finally launching a multivitamin after 17 other SKUs. Plus: the Hershey reformulation saga, McCormick’s $45B acquisition of Unilever’s food business, goPuff’s surprisingly successful private label expansion, and Mars Men—an 18-month-old testosterone supplement brand already at $100M run rate. Let’s get into it!The Breakdown 00:00 Intro 0:05 Interview with Daniel Solomons (Update Energy) 20:28 Kylie's K2O Beauty Hydration Powder 27:20 Khloud Protein Chips 30:39 Lemme Launches a Multivitamin (Finally) 32:50 The Hershey/Reese's Reformulation Drama 44:43 McCormick Buys Unilever's Food Business ($45B) 47:50 goPuff's Private Label Expansion 50:10 Mars Men: $100M Testosterone Supplement Brand 58:26 Wrap-up 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout [https://open.substack.com/pub/expresscheckout], our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co [http://expresscheckout.co/]. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout [http://instagram.com/expresscheckout] 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe [https://www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]