$100M BRAND STORY

Bloom Nutrition’s Pre-biotic Power Play

If you’ve opened TikTok anytime lately, chances are a sherbet-colored tub of Bloom Greens & Superfoods has drifted across your ‘For You’ page—usually stirred into a mason jar by a Gen-Z creator who swears it actually tastes good. What began in 2019 as Mari Llewellyn documenting a 90-lb weight-loss journey has snowballed into a $170-million trailing-twelve-month powerhouse that still moves most of its volume through a single hero SKU. 

That growth—and the brand’s 12 billion TikTok views—finally lured outside money: on January 17 2024 Bloom accepted a $90 million minority investment led by Nutrabolt (parent of C4 Energy), with Amberstone and Clayton Christopher joining the round. The deal gives Nutrabolt roughly a 20 percent stake while keeping founders Mari Llewellyn and Greg LaVecchia firmly in control. 

Armed with fresh capital and Nutrabolt’s beverage know-how, Bloom is sprinting beyond powders into gut-friendly, pre-biotic RTD territory: Sparkling Energy hit Target shelves in 2024, and the 20-calorie, PreticX-powered Bloom Pop soda is slated for a national Labor Day 2025 launch. For operators reading this: it’s a masterclass in turning one relentlessly optimized hero product into a platform brand—without losing the DTC discipline that built the P&L in the first place.

Are They Funded or Bootstrapped?

Bloom spent its first five years running on pure founder fuel—reinvesting profits from PDF workout guides, “booty bands,” and the runaway Greens & Superfoods hero SKU. That changed on January 17, 2024, when the team closed a $90 million growth-equity round:

Why it matters:

• Working-capital buffer: The cash lets Bloom place larger retail POs without choking the DTC cash engine, smoothing the cash-conversion cycle ahead of nationwide Target and Kroger resets.

• Strategic synergy: Nutrabolt’s beverage know-how de-risks Bloom’s leap from powders to canned pre-biotic beverages—critical for protecting gross margins north of 50 % as they scale RTD.

• Governance shift: A minority stake still comes with board seats, KPIs, and an eventual liquidity clock—operators should model the dilution vs. acceleration trade-off before inking a similar deal.

TL;DR — Bloom went from attic-funded to $90M growth-capital fueled overnight, but on founder-friendly terms that keep vision and majority equity in-house. 

Their Origin Story

• 2017 — Mari loses 90 lbs, documents the journey, and amasses a highly engaged female audience.loom nutrition .rtf](file-service://file-3PSrZD49xdqVuXcHKeRiqs)

• 2018 — Booty bands + guides prove the audience will buy, not just “like.”

• Jan 2019 — Bloom launches with low-stim female-focused pre-workout.

• Jan 2020 — Greens & Superfoods debuts (includes pre-biotics + probiotics + fiber). Hero SKU is born.bloom nutrition

• Pandemic demand spike + TikTok virality → first $1 MM Shopify day (June 2020).

Core Customer Base

Millennial and Gen-Z women (18-35) who skew wellness-curious, shop Target/Amazon, and live on TikTok. Their pain points: bloating, low energy, and distrust of “bro” supplement brands.

How Did They Grow So Sustainably? (P&L View)

Key Milestones

• 2019 — Bloom founded; 3 pre-workout SKUs.

• 2020 — Greens launch; $23 MM Year-2 revenue.

• 2022 — 600-store Target test; top-5 category seller in 8 weeks.

• 2023 — Amazon homepage buy-out; #1 Health & Household BSR.

• 2024 — Sparkling Energy with in-can prebiotic fiber hits Target exclusive.

• 2025 — Bloom Pop soda to 14k doors via KDP network.

Influencer Marketing Mix

• Volume > celebrity. Thousands of micro & nano creators (nurses, students, moms, even “TikTok Grandma”) seed authentic demos.

• No coupon codes. Removes friction and protects MSRP in retail.

• Creator care SOP. Birthdays logged, surprise restocks, profit-share contests — turning influencers into brand evangelists.bloom nutrition

Their Marketing X-Factor

Bloom marries flavor and female-first design with a ruthless P&L lens: one hero SKU, high-margin DTC flywheel, cash-flow-funded innovation. Buying the Amazon homepage wasn’t about ROAS; it was a strategic balance-sheet bet to unlock nationwide retail real estate — and it worked

Takeaways for Wellness Operators

1. Hero SKU ≠ one-trick pony. Depth (flavors, RTD, new forms) can out-earn breadth while simplifying ops.

2. Pre-biotic ≠ buzzword. Pair clinically backed ingredients (PreticX) with craveable taste to win both dietitians and dopamine-seekers.

3. Own the funnel math. DTC (~75 % gross margin) funds brand awareness; retail (~40-50 % margin) delivers scale. Model both in the same spreadsheet.

4. Bet big on moments. A scary six-figure buy can rewrite perception and your valuation if timed to category seasonality.

5. Culture > playbook. Hire young, teach fast; let fresh eyes out-create agency retainers.