While Alani Nu’s is not showing any sign of slowing down, there is a plucky new challenger brand charging into the energy category. Bloom Nutrition is making a strong case to the female beverage consumer. The supplement-turned-insurgent-beverage brand’s recent entrance into the caffeinated category with Sparkling Energy has been strong with over 35 million cans already sold less than a year into its launch. Backed by a minority investment from Nutrabolt, as well as category expertise and a KDP distribution partnership, Bloom has flowered into a full-fledged beverage business. Seeded as a digitally-native supplement company, a partnership with Target gave it a much-needed boost. Per Numerator, once Bloom hit the bullseye, it clocked in the “highest trial energy brand launch” in history. Bloom moved beyond the online sphere exclusively with Target, pushing out its powdered supplements and, eventually, the Sparkling Energy line. It has since expanded into Walmart, Sam’s Club, Albertsons, Kroger and, most recently, Costco, among other grocery retailers. Founded in 2019 by Mari Llewellyn and her husband Greg LaVecchia, Bloom mimicked Alani Nu’s strategy with active women as its target consumer base. It built a strong following on social media and Llewellyn’s podcast, but once the brand hit retail shelves in October 2022, sales started to take off. In 2022, Bloom tallied about $15 million in sales. This year, the brand is projected to hit over $122 million, with a household penetration of 3.5% and repeat rate purchases over 32%, according to Numerator data. And it's doing all that without eating into partner Nutrabolt’s market share. Bloom Sparkling Energy has “less than 2% cannibalization of C4,” said Nutrabolt VP of Category Management TJ Moore in a recent webinar. “C4 wins with heavy energy drink users. The [energy] category has grown so much that there are distinct areas where we can win without cannibalization.” With the gas pedal pressed firmly to the floor, Bloom is not letting up. Taking a slightly different approach than Alani Nu, Bloom is using its momentum to move into prebiotic soda with Bloom Pop and extend beyond supplements and energy into a broader beverage consumer base. Read the full feature to see how energy drinks learned to win with women. | 
