From Olipop’s latest move to brain food, protein gelato, and the rise of AI systems built for teams, here’s what’s shaping the next wave of consumer and commerce.
Hey DTC Fam,
Big capital is still flowing into breakout consumer brands, functional food keeps expanding into new corners of the grocery store, and AI is quickly moving from helpful tool to foundational business infrastructure. From Olipop’s next big bet to protein gelato, brain snacks, and company-wide AI systems, there is a lot worth paying attention to.
Let’s get into it.
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This edition is presented by Patrol.
Accessibility and ADA compliance are usually massive headaches for scaling DTC brands. Some quick numbers:
Over 96% of websites homepages fail ADA compliance testing
There are 12,000+ digital ADA lawsuits + demand letters against merchants annually
This usually has merchants deciding between a cheap overlay widget or hiring professional services for a short-term fix.
That brings us to Patrol, our Tool of the Month on 1800DTC for May.
They are approaching the problem completely differently. Patrol is the only app on Shopify that skips the surface-level overlay and fixes your accessibility issues directly in your theme code. Instead of adding a band-aid, Patrol uses AI to automate the three core jobs of accessibility; the audit, test, and deletes inaccessible while replacing it with accessible code
E-commerce moves fast; you are constantly publishing new landing pages, adding products, dropping blogs, and swapping out images. Patrol syncs to your live Shopify theme every single hour so nothing gets missed. It catches and automatically fixes any new violations introduced by your team’s day-to-day updates, keeping you continuously compliant.
By putting ADA compliance entirely on autopilot, Patrol gives merchants true peace of mind while actively helping to protect them from future legal risks. If you want to fix your store’s accessibility the right way, this one is absolutely worth checking out. Book a call with Rick Chavez from the Patrol team or take advantage of a free audit below.
In April, Our Place launched its new non-toxic rice cooker, developed in collaboration with chef and New York Times bestselling author Kenji López-Alt. He called it “the rice cooker of my dreams” when introducing it.
We had to try it out... and our Head of Client Strategy, Nick, being a foodie, jumped at the opportunity:
“It immediately sparked my interest. Who doesn’t know Kenji? I have warm memories of when we were all stuck at home in 2020/21, watching him make some late-night snacks on his YouTube channel, dropping some dog taxes on the floor along the way.
I’ve always been a meat-and-potatoes guy (can you tell?), and one of the reasons for that is I cook every night. No meal prep. That has meant making rice the old-fashioned way on a stovetop: two cups water to one cup rice, 15 minutes, rest it, don’t touch the lid. I don’t always have the time.
Recently, though, I’ve been thinking about a rice cooker. That has mostly consisted of searching ‘Best rice cookers Reddit 2026.’
The folks at Our Place sent me one. It hit the mark and made me question what I’ve been doing with my culinary life. It’s so easy to set and use. All the rice (top and bottom) came out perfectly fluffy at lunch and stayed warm for dinner. I’ll definitely be switching out potatoes for some rice now.”
Our Place called the rice cooker one of the most requested products in its brand’s history. It’s powered by fuzzy logic technology — thinking like a human does — explaining why Nick got that perfect rice. It’s cool to see stuff like this launched with celebrity partnership and the collaboration actually making sense.
Jacob Posel, former Director of AI at Common Thread Collective and a cofounder of Indigo, just introduced HQ, an AI operating system built to solve one of the biggest workplace bottlenecks in AI adoption: fragmentation. His thesis is simple but sharp, most teams are experimenting with AI in silos, with scattered prompts, duplicated workflows, and no shared context layer, creating a gap between power users and everyone else. HQ aims to fix that by turning institutional knowledge, workflows, and API access into shared company infrastructure, effectively making one person’s breakthrough everyone’s starting point. The bigger signal here is that the next wave of AI tools will not just help individuals work faster, they will help organizations operate smarter by creating a unified system for how teams actually use AI together.
→ More context
→ Jacob’s announcement
Olipop is reportedly raising another $200M, with Morgan Stanley advising on the deal, marking a major pivot after acquisition talks with strategic buyers reportedly stalled last year. Rather than selling, Olipop appears to be betting on itself, doubling down on independent scale at a moment when functional beverages are proving they can become category-defining businesses, not just trendy challengers. The bigger signal is that “better-for-you” is no longer niche shelf filler, it is becoming one of the most investable corners of modern consumer. For founders, this is another reminder that strong brand, clear positioning, and sustained velocity can create real leverage, whether that ends in acquisition, IPO, or building a generational standalone company.
Interact AI is rethinking what a website should be, turning static pages into interactive product experiences powered by AI. Instead of forcing visitors through menus, forms, and demo requests, Interact lets users ask questions naturally, get live product walkthroughs, explore relevant content, and even book meetings directly inside the experience. Early case studies point to longer engagement, faster sales cycles, and materially higher conversion, suggesting the website may be evolving from digital brochure into digital rep. The bigger signal for brands is clear: in a world where attention is short and buyer expectations are rising, the most valuable websites may no longer be the prettiest, they will be the most interactive, responsive, and useful.
Brain health keeps gaining shelf space: MOSH, the brain health snack brand co-founded by Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwarzenegger, closed a $13M Series A led by Main Street Advisors. The bigger signal: functional nutrition is moving beyond protein and gut health into cognitive wellness, with consumers increasingly looking for foods that promise sharper focus, better energy, and long-term brain support.
Seed oil discourse keeps turning into brands: Jesse & Ben’s, known for restaurant-quality, seed oil-free french fries, closed a $10M round led by Greycroft. What started as an internet nutrition debate is increasingly becoming a real consumer category, with cleaner-label pantry staples moving from niche talking points into investable businesses.
Forti raises pre-seed: Forti just raised early funding to build the UK’s first high-protein gelato brand, underscoring a bigger shift: consumers still want dessert, but increasingly expect it to come with functional upside.
Youth sports nutrition gets more specialized: PLAYR is building specifically for athletes ages 8 to 18, betting on a simple idea: youth sports are becoming more competitive, but nutrition products have largely been built for adults. It is a sharp niche that sits at the intersection of performance, parenting, and the growing premiumization of youth athletics.
On June 23-24, the best in DTC and eCommerce are coming together over a two-day event in NYC for the CommerceNext Growth Show. We’re lucky enough to get free tickets for the brands in our community.
Here’s what you can expect.
Sessions brands you know and respect
Bombas — Jason LaRose, CEO
A deep dive into what comes after ecommerce success: omnichannel expansion, wholesale, retail and operational complexity.
Mejuri — Majed Masad, Co-Founder & President
How digital-native brands are redefining omnichannel through loyalty, community and connected experiences.
Mammoth Brands (Harry’s & Flamingo) — ZhuMei Chen, Sr. Manager, CX
What’s actually driving retention beyond email, with a focus on post-purchase CX.
Outside the sessions
Curated networking with DTC and retail brand leaders who are at your stage and beyond
Intimate dinners and evening events where the real conversations happen
Direct access to leading commerce tech companies that are shaping what’s next
A community of leaders building durable, profitable brands
1800DTC is proud to partner with CommerceNext for this event.
Retailers and brands receive FREE admission.
Tech and solution providers get 10% off using the code “1800DTC” on page two in the referral field at registration. Hope to see you there!
That’s Field Notes for week 010.
From better-for-you to better-built, this week was a reminder that the brands winning attention today are pairing sharp product thinking with sharper execution. What company do you think is building it right right now? Hit reply.
We read every reply.
— Zach and the 1800Hotline Team
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