Dive Brief:
- DTC over-the-counter digestive health medicine brand Wonderbelly has more than doubled its retail footprint with Target by expanding into over 1,800 of the mass merchant’s stores nationwide.
- The brand, which sells antacid tablets in several flavors, was previously available in 650 Target stores after entering the mass merchant in March. Wonderbelly also sells on Target's website.
- The four FDA-regulated Wonderbelly Antacids include Strawberry Milkshake, Watermelon Mint, Lemon Sorbet and Target-exclusive flavor Fruity Cereal. The packaging is all recyclable aluminum.
Dive Insight:
The nationwide expansion with Target helps position Wonderbelly, which launched just last year, for further growth.
Wonderbelly antacid tablets use the same active ingredient – Calcium Carbonate – as many of the leading brands, but is formulated with Clean Label Project-certified inactive ingredients that are non-GMO, vegan, and free of talc, dyes, gluten, dairy, common allergens, synthetic sweeteners, artificial flavors and parabens.
Wonderbelly’s main demographic are women between the ages of 25 and 44, Lucas Kraft, co-founder of Wonderbelly, told Retail Dive, adding that several of its customers are pregnant as that’s a “moment in life where people tend to experience heightened levels of heartburn.”
“We’re truly trying to change the relationship medicine has with its users,” Kraft said. “Typically the relationship has been passive and transactional. The branding on most medicine is corporate and cold and there’s no real community or strong connection to the consumers. We are connecting with our consumers by speaking to their values (thoughtful ingredients, sustainable packaging, enjoyable flavors) while also aiming to build community around topics they care about.”
Kraft hatched the idea for Wonderbelly following his own struggles early in life with an eating disorder. He and his brother Noah launched the business in 2022 with initial seed money from several investors. The product is now being sold through Amazon and in about 3,500 retail doors, including Target, Meijer, Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Erewhon, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Kroger, Central Market, Fresh Thyme, Thrive Market, Grove Collaborative and the FSA store.
The expansion of Wonderbelly at Target comes on the heels of several clean personalized vitamin brands inking wholesale partnerships with the retailer. Those include Ritual, Persona and Gainful. Still more DTC vitamin brands have launched or expanded at Target, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Amazon, including Care/of and Love Wellness.
