$200k selling cups, Sephora joins TikTok Shops, and brews + olive oil collabs

Welcome back DTC fam,

Things are moving fast with TikTok Shops. Excited to see where DTC brands take it.

Let’s get to it:

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DTC Wrapped 2026 – Voting Open

Across 30 categories, 1800DTC has nominated the top technology companies and service partners helping DTC brands operate and scale.

The final rankings rely on your insights. Who were the top dogs in 2026 for you as a brand and operator? Take 5 minutes to share your experience. To say thanks, we’ll enter you to win an Eight Sleep Pod 5!

Probably the best potential ROI for your time you’ll see all year…

[ founder highlight ]

Two friends hit $200k selling cups.

Yes, cups.

They started with student ambassadors, and now they're growing fast with their own factory.

Read the full story here →

Share this with a founder you think we should highlight next:

[ in the news ]

Athletic Brewing Company x Graza

Non-alcoholic brews mashed with olive oil. Who knew.

Yesterday, Athletic Brewing Company launched their collab with Graza, creating Cold Off The Press.

"We love collaborations that push us outside the traditional boundaries of brewing," said John Walker, Co-Founder and COO of Athletic Brewing Company. (PR Newswire).

Originally, both companies had a place at the table for dinner and game day. Now we get the best of both worlds.

Sephora Joins TikTok Shops

Sephora kicked off its TikTok Shop launch with a Live Stream, showcasing its new products.

Nadine Graham (SVP, GM and E-commerce at Sephora) says they’re planning to roll out exclusive monthly drops to drive newness and urgency around their products.

We’re seeing consumers move to faster shopping, and much of that happens on TikTok Shop.

“Do these retailers want to go to TikTok Shop? They would prefer that the world comes to their own domain, and they can control that experience. But the world doesn’t really work that way,” said Blaine Nielsen, president of retailers at e-commerce agency Rithum. (Glossy).

This platform can drive massive attention and traffic to your brand, but it will be interesting to see if these customers stick around and keep buying.

More on this in the DTC notes below…

[ get connected IRL ]

Midcoast Presents: Shoptalk Fall — A Speakeasy Poker Night

Midcoast is taking Shoptalk Fall with its 3rd Annual Speakeasy Poker Night.

Join consumer brand founders, operators, and industry leaders for Texas Hold ’Em, roulette, a DJ set, open bar, food, and prizes.

16 guests will compete in the poker tournament, starting at 7 pm, until one champion remains. Chips have no cash value, but bragging rights and prizes are on the line.

Even if you’re not playing, come for cocktails, conversation, and the party.

Approved RSVPs only. Space is limited, and venue details will be shared with confirmed guests.

Register Here →

The BFCM Conversion Lab S1

A hands-on CRO working session for Shopify growth teams.

You’ll leave with a roadmap built from your own numbers, tests ready to launch and the operating system to run testing at scale.

Led by Shopify’s CRO team and Visually’s CEO, they’ll take your store’s own audit data, find where shoppers drop off, and help turn it into experiments built live with AI.

Space is limited to a small cohort of qualified merchants, so RSVP today to save your seat.

Register here →

DTC Builders: Founders Only DTC Dinner

​DTC Builders NYC is hosting a founders-only dinner, in partnership with Leading Social & StoreHero, two DTC partners working closely across a wide range of 7/8 figure leading DTC brands.

Request to join here →

[ DTC notes ]

Earlier this week Common Thread Collective, one of the biggest ecommerce agencies out there, acquired TBAR Partners.

TBAR is the TikTok Shop agency working with HexClad Cookware, Vita Coco, Ridge and Grüns. Two college baseball teammates started it in June 2025. 15 months later they're doing $5M+ a month in sales across 40+ brands.

2 insights on this acquisition:

1. In DTC, the Halo Effect is everything

Common Thread Collective didn't buy GMV with this acquisition.

They bought the Halo Effect.

For example, your customer might see a creator talk about your product on TikTok, then hear about it from someone else a week later, and eventually buy through your website, Amazon, or a retail store. Attribution is messy.

That’s why I’m so interested in brands that get a lot of people talking about them.

Because when creators and affiliates consistently put a product in front of the right audience, the brand starts to feel like it’s everywhere. Those touchpoints build familiarity and trust. Then, if the product delivers, the first purchase can turn into repeat purchases and word of mouth.

Trust me, it’s hard to capture all of that in an attribution dashboard.

But it can be one of the most valuable things a DTC brand builds. TikTok’s geo lift studies for Fenty Beauty and Liquid I.V. are solid examples of TikTok driving sales way beyond the platform.

2.If you’re on TikTok Shop but haven’t used affiliates, start.

Keep posting from your brand account.

But know the bigger opportunity (especially with BFCM coming in hot) is getting a network of creators to use the product, talk about it in their own way, and test different angles.

I’d recommend 3 simple steps to get started:

1. get a product that’s easy to demonstrate

2. get samples into the hands of on-target creators

3. pay close attention to which videos lead to sales

Then build deeper relationships with those creators. Give them the support to make more content, and put some paid spend behind high-performing content.

Check out brands like NeuroGum and Frost Buddy. They treat their affiliates like an ongoing program (versus a one-time post).

See you Tuesday,

Zach and 1800DTC Team 1800DTC.com

P.S I’m not lying. This is literally a goldmine for DTC operators. Playbooks, guides, breakdowns, founders, plus some. Check it out here →