Brandless expands our family with some awesome new investor friends we met at the intersection of Belief & Main Streets

Friends:

Well, it’s been 22 weeks since Brandless was born and so much has happened in such a short while that I must pause to share the highlights and some big new news. When we woke up that memorable July 11th morning of launch day, the first thing we saw was a giant piece in the Wall Street Journal announcing our arrival. Since then we’ve had over 5 billion earned media impressions — meaning hundreds of articles, podcasts and profiles. And, just last week, we were named the Disruptor of the Year.

But, beyond all the media impressions, here’s the number that got me: 48. Within 60 hours of our launch, we had orders from all 48 contiguous states. How could it be that with no marketing we’d already reached so many? I believe the nation is hungry. Hungry for a new kind of company, hungry for quality products at fair prices. Believers and optimists emerged from every part of our nation. And among them, we unexpectedly reached a new group of supporters — some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and business. After the outpouring of support, we paused and looked around at the folks raising their hands to help and invited a few to jump in and share our journey. They too heard our story and reached out asking to help fuel our mission. So, today, we are humbled to announce that some awesome folks have joined our investor family. Perhaps Stephen Curry said it best:

“On the court, if everyone touches the ball, good things happen. Out in the world, when we all get involved, we have the power to make good things happen. I’m investing in Brandless to help create good. To help create a future where everyone can afford better.”
— Stephen Curry, Professional Basketball Player

We hadn’t anticipated expanding our circle this early, but we recognized that a movement was afoot and that movements are never built alone. As Scooter Braun told us:

“Brandless is much more than just a great investment; it’s a movement that has the ability to impact lives. Everyone deserves better — and better shouldn’t come with a higher price tag.”
—Scooter Braun, Founder of SB Projects

In addition to Stephen and Scooter, our family now includes Nick “Swaggy P” Young, Katie Jacobs Stanton, CJ McCollum, Mindy Grossman, Dhani Jones, Leslie Blodgett, Rich Antoniello, Jennifer Aaker, David Bach, Paul Rabil, Jessica Seinfeld, Randi Zuckerberg, and other rock stars (actually, no one in this group is a professional musician, but you get the point). As world-class social media and marketing leader Katie Jacobs Stanton said:

“Access to everyday products should not be limited based on your income level, location, gender or culture. Brandless is breaking barriers and opening the door to everyone with its $3 everyday essentials store.” —Katie Jacobs Stanton, CMO of Color

How did we get to where we are today? Somehow, we’ve become accustomed to the idea that better products need to cost more and that affordable products can’t be high quality. It’s simply not true. At Brandless, our team has circled the globe to create a curated assortment of high-quality products. All of our food is made with non-GMO ingredients, and we’ve applied a just-what-matters criteria to each Brandless item, so you can easily find organic, Fair Trade, gluten-free, or vegan foods, or clean and cruelty-free personal care products free of the 400 ingredients you don’t want. As Jessica Seinfeld shared:

“These quality products are the healthier and organic foods I want for my family, but now Brandless is making them accessible to the many instead of the few.”
—Jessica Seinfeld, Acclaimed Cookbook Author and Philanthropist

Did I fail to mention that EVERYTHING is $3? Possible? Yup. By selling directly to consumers, we cut out the “BrandTax” —the average 40% more you pay for national brands of similar high quality to Brandless. But wait. Not everyone has $3. From the moment of our inception, we recognized that eliminating the BrandTax and selling extraordinary products at fair prices directly to consumers only gets us part of the way there. We designed Brandless to be a company for profit and purpose, so we underwrite a donation with every single checkout. By week 18 we’d already donated 150,000 meals through our partnership with Feeding America®, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, in support of the work they do for all families in our country living with hunger year round. Caring for our neighbors, our communities, and enabling a better future is more than just a give back program for us. It’s the fiber of the company. It’s our very foundation, our purpose, our potential. We know that it’s these tangible acts of kindness that inspire some of our new supporters like CJ McCollum, who said:

“Brandless is creating the kind of change I want to see in the world: businesses putting people first and communities engaging in acts of kindness. Joining the Brandless family is my way of embracing and spreading the love.”
—CJ McCollum, Professional Basketball Player

As we round out 2017, let’s step back from the fake and real news and take stock of some of the fundamental societal changes not reflected in the headlines. Overconsumption is out and access to the best stuff is in. I believe the American people want different and better choices than the generation that preceded them. Choices that reflect each individual’s values. Choices that didn’t exist before due to access, awareness, and affordability. Except for the select few, choosing “better” for yourself and your family never was a choice. No matter your dietary beliefs, lifestyle beliefs, or health beliefs, we can all share the core belief that everyone deserves the right to choose based on their belief system. Nick “Swaggy P” Young told us:

“Over the years I’ve decided to make better health and lifestyle choices to improve my game. Unfortunately, I noticed that these changes don’t always come easy. So, I’ve partnered with Brandless to help make a change. Brandless is making better stuff at fairer prices for Everyone!”
—Nick “Swaggy P” Young, Professional Basketball Player

At Brandless, we put people first and that means everyone. Set your maps people, and meet us at the intersection of Belief & Main Streets.

We’re waiting for you.

xo tina

Join us.

Hear more of our new Brandless investor voices and find media assets here.