Direct to Consumer or DTC brands are quickly gaining a leg up against their competitors. With a direct to consumer model, brands can interact with and sell to consumers directly meaning that brands can sell high quality products for cheaper prices than grocery stores or beverage outlet stores. The food and beverage industry has seen a huge increase in DTC brands and many of them are so successful that their competitors are scrambling to keep up and offer similar services and products. The direct to consumer brands we’ll look at today each offer a unique twist on beverages, supplements, nutrition and sustainability in the food and beverage industry.
Supplements and Energy
Proper Wild is a great example of a brand offering a widely sought after product: a natural and clean replacement for energy drinks. Their drinks help with focus and productivity and use a combination of caffeine and l-theanine to create a boost of energy without the jitters of coffee and energy drinks. Clean energy drinks are high in demand and Proper Wild is quickly becoming a fan favorite for those looking for lasting energy without a nasty crash.
Energy drinks aren’t the only product that have suffered from a lack of oversight. The supplement industry has long been host to a slew of dishonest companies making exaggerated and even false statements about what their products do and contain. UNICO Nutrition promises 100% transparency and honesty about all ingredients on every label, 100% of the time. Their commitment to changing the supplement industry’s sketchy practices is amazing and truly changing the game of their industry.
Another amazing brand to check out in the supplement industry is BioHealth. Their natural protein powders not only taste great, but include a number of naturally sourced ingredients to help you on your fitness journey.
Food and Nutrition
Health food companies have always dealt with the stigma of being…well, not as tasty! Outstanding foods is changing the game by offering delicious plant-based snack foods packed with familiar flavors like pork rinds, hot cheese puffs and much more. There’s no reason plant based foods can’t measure up to their meat produced counterparts, and healthy snacking should be as joyful as it is good for your sustainability.
This brings us to our next brand feature. Part of what makes a brand special is not just the product they offer but how it’s delivered. JOI makes alternative milk powders which are delicious, healthy and gluten free. But what really makes their product special is their zero-waste, completely compostable packaging. Zero waste companies are becoming more and more popular as science makes it easier to access compostable and recyclable materials.
In addition to having access to healthy and sustainability minded brands, it’s important to know about brands that encourage self-sufficiency. Banquist takes the ‘teach a man to fish’ idiom to a whole new level with their amazing online cooking courses and meal kits to match. Brands like Banquist are pushing back against the idea that a busy schedule means you can’t prepare delicious, healthy and loving food for yourself and your family. Brands like these make it easy and fun to make the time for making delicious meals.
Exciting New Beverage Companies
Seltzers, micro brews and organic wines are on the rise. Consumers are looking for beverages that not only taste great but don’t leave us feeling, well, gross after we drink it! When it comes to eco and body conscious alcohol brands, look no further than JuneShine. Their hard kombucha are brewed with real and natural ingredients, making it one of the healthiest and sustainable options for adult beverages on the market today.
For those looking for a lighter, non-alcoholic beverage to satisfy that carbonation craving while helping your stomach, check out Olipop. OLIPOP combines gut health and vintage sodas into one delicious product. Their sodas taste just the ones you had growing up, but with all natural ingredients and sweeteners to support digestive health. You can purchase their sodas directly from their website as a one time purchase, or subscribe to get exciting new flavors!
Of course, beverage delivery also needs to be featured here. Saucey is a service that feels like it should have existed for decades before now. A direct to consumer alcohol delivery service in 30 minutes means you can get all of your favorite brand name and local beverages straight to your door.
Cooking and Cookware
Many of these DTC brands aim to provide a product or service that makes our daily lives not only easier, but more enjoyable. Food is one of life’s great pleasures and there’s no reason we can’t prepare delicious home made food, no matter how busy we are. These brands will make cooking at home a lot more fun and a lot tastier!
Lillie’s Q brings their famous BBQ sauce into a direct to consumer platform where customers can order a variety of different sauces right from the website. You can enjoy the real flavors of southern BBQ right from home with all of their amazing sauces. Of course, you’ll need more than just BBQ sauce for a great meal. Hive Brands offers amazing tasting spices with a sustainable model for vetting their brands and ingredients. They have five criteria for all the brands they sell: ingredient integrity, recyclable packaging, low carbon footprint, social impact and deliciousness.
On top of great sauces and spices, many brands are offering innovative cookware that lasts the test of time in a busy home kitchen and can be used for all kinds of kitchen tasks. Our Place is a direct to consumer kitchenware brand famous for creating the Always Pan, a pan that can be used as a skillet, steamer, satueé pan and much much more.
These brands are all offering innovative products that not only bring new life into the food and beverage industry, but stand to change the whole conversation about nutrition and health. The things we put in our body should make us feel as great as they taste, and as we know that is not always the case. Many of the big brands you find in stores use harmful chemicals and preservatives. These DTC brands deliver healthy and fun alternatives while offering a more transparent experience shopping for essentials.
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