1800Hotline 035 // AG1 breaks its own format after 16 years, Olipop's founder hands off the CEO seat, and a nasal wellness brand hit 3,100 doors
As the CEO of 1800DTC, I'm focused on building one of the strongest communities in commerce. Through content, events, and shared knowledge, the goal is to connect the best operators, brands, and technology shaping the future of DTC. My background is rooted in the Shopify ecosystem. I've worked across leading platforms and agencies including Route, Stay AI, and Toki, and most recently led growth and partnerships at Lunar Solar Group. Along the way, I've spent years working closely with brands, operators, SaaS partners, and agencies across the commerce landscape. Across every role, the throughline has remained the same: commerce, content, and community. I'm based in Utah. When I'm not working, you'll likely find me skiing, biking around town, or training for my next competition.
Hey and Happy Thursday,
A foodie with over 1.5M combined followers got tired of chocolate milk and built his own. Peter Rahal is calling his next launch the Coke Zero of candy. And a UK apéritif grew 408% by selling pleasure.
Let’s get into it.
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Brand We’re Watching: Wizard Wellness
Six months after selling its first unit, it has endcaps in Walmart stores.
Wizard Wellness just landed in more than 3,100 Walmart and CVS doors, and it’s bringing a whole new category with it. The brand invented nasal wellness: daily, drug-free care for your nose, built the way skincare is built.
Courtesy of Wizard Wellness
Founded by beauty vet Lorne Lucree (Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, and more), Wizard Wellness is rolling into roughly 1,700 Walmart stores (with endcaps in about 1,500 of them) and 1,400 CVS locations.
“Walmart championed us early, and they gave us the kind of placement most brands wait years for.”
Lorne Lucree, Founder and CEO, Wizard Wellness
The launch caps off the brand’s best stretch yet. Its subscription base has grown 17x, and July 2026 was a record on both fronts, most new customers and most revenue to date, with signups nearly tripling month over month.
Microbiome science came for the gut, then the skin, then the mouth. Now the nose gets its turn.
Unwrapped w/ Kevin from Moo’d Up
You may already know Kevin Escalera for his viral food adventures across a massive cross-platform audience of over 1.5 million followers.
He’s a trusted foodie who couldn’t find a chocolate milk that delivered on both flavor and nutrition, so he took what he knows and made his own. Chocolate milk all grown up: Moo’d Up is dairy-free, protein-rich (10g of protein per serving), low in sugar (only 3g), and made with better-for-you ingredients like real cocoa and just a touch of cane sugar.
We chatted with him about it. Click below to check that out ↓
AG1 Tackles Gummies
AG1 Essentials Gummies went live yesterday, the first new form factor in the brand’s 16-year history. Eight gummies to a daily pack, packing 50 vitamins and minerals into a berry shape. Fruity flavor of apple and strawberry.
“We bring a gummy that does not compromise on quality or taste for convenience.”
Kat Cole, AG1 CEO
Little bit of an odd move for a company whose entire identity was the scoop, the shaker bottle, and discipline instead of a bear shape. That’s until looking at some of the backdrop and recent market context. Reuters reported in April that AG1 was weighing a sale, the same week Unilever announced its $1.2B acquisition of Grüns.
Roughly a third of supplement users already reach for gummies, and AG1 decided that was too much adherence to keep ignoring with the aspiration they have.
Olipop CEO Ben Goodwin Stepping Down
Ben Goodwin steps out of the CEO role on Aug 17 and moves to executive chairman and head of innovation. Christian Patiño Webb takes over, coming off four years running Electrolit with P&G, Unilever, J&J, and Red Bull.
Goodwin co-founded Olipop in 2018 and grew it past half a billion in sales, 65,000 doors, and a $1.85B valuation on last February’s Series C. He says no IPO process is underway. Bloomberg reports the brand is looking at markets outside the US. A lot happening.
Goodwin’s trading the org chart for the formulation bench and letting a career operator run scale and distribution for it. A handoff like this can typically happen after something goes wrong, and doing it while the numbers still read well (and are climbing) comes from a position of strength.
Loisa Builds ‘Premium Tier’ For Latin Flavors as Retail Footprint Surges
Loisa went from roughly 500 doors to about 5,500 in two years, jumping from natural chains like Whole Foods and Sprouts into conventional grocers including Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, H-E-B and Harris Teeter.
Most Latin pantry brands compete on price at the bottom of the shelf. Loisa is building a premium tier instead, betting shoppers will pay up for better-positioned staples. That 11x door count in 24 months is a good sign they’re reaching both heritage Latino consumers and shoppers who may be new to the flavors.
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Peter Rahal announces new chocolate brand HallPass The founder of Rxbar and David Protein is back at it again. He’s calling his new release the ‘Coke Zero’ of candy, launching August 29th in Walmart. The lower-calorie candy is geared for the same taste and enjoyment as traditional candy without the premium price. Darren Rovell calls out the packaging from the promotion, but Peter says it was rage-bait. More targeting of permissible indulgence.
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Wandering Bear’s cold brew finds its way back to Target Four revamped 8 oz. canned cold brew and latte SKUs back to Target shelves, following a June rollout of multi-serve cartons. The move is another step in Wandering Bear’s return to a retail strategy after a pivot to a focus on DTC during the pandemic. Big retail moment building on a strong first half.
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UK non-alc Botivo sells pleasure, not moderation, as non-alc drinks mature Botivo, a UK non-alcoholic apéritif during lockdown, grew 408% year-over-year across retail. Most non-alc brands sell abstinence and moderation, targeting those who are passing up a drink. Botivo built its entire product and brand around pleasure instead. Number’s show that’s paying off.
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Rhone CMO on marketing at an inflection point for the apparel brand Rhone has launched a new campaign, “A Love Letter to NYC,” shifting from performance marketing to more brand building. It’s an interesting bid for authenticity with a campaign that includes Citi Bike dock takeovers and in-store activations.
That’s a wrap for Field Notes this week.
Two moves this week, both voluntary. AG1 shifts its identity to appeal to consumer demand and Ben Goodwin is handing off the org chart at an unexpected time. Neither one waited for something to break.
What’s the thing in your business you know you should change? Like now when it’s still working. Are you going to? Hit reply.
See you Tuesday.
— Zach and the 1800Hotline Team
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