Unilever, which has been steadily investing in the vitamins and supplements market in recent years, has backed US gummy business Create Wellness.
Through investment arm Unilever Ventures, the FMCG giant took part in Create Wellness’ Series A funding round.
The New York-based business said it had attracted US$5m, taking the funding it has so far pulled in to $7.2m.
Set up in 2022, Create Wellness markets gummy creatine supplements under the Create brand. The products are said to increase strength, improve cognition and help muscles recover after exercise.
The company, founded by CEO Dan McCormick, sells into retailers including GNC and Wegmans. It also sells through Amazon and on its own website.
Create Wellness says it has brought in more than $15m in net revenue since the company was set up. It wants to use the funding to hire more staff, invest in research and expand its distribution.
“Unilever Ventures’ backing validates our vision that creatine supplementation is going mainstream," McCormick said. "This funding will allow us to build a world-class team, launch new creatine-forward products, develop partnerships with major retailers, and ultimately serve our customers more effectively.”
Unilever is home to supplement brands including Olly, SmartyPants and Onnit. The Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream maker has built its position in vitamins and supplements via M&A. It has also made minority investments in emerging businesses in the sector through the Unilever Ventures arm.
“Creatine is one of the most deeply researched supplements available, with benefits extending beyond sports nutrition,” Izzy Hemington, principal at Unilever Ventures, said. “We have been impressed by the momentum Dan and Sienna [Mori, Create Wellness’ president] have built in a short space of time and their vision to reimagine the creatine landscape with products which resonate with a broader audience.”
Last year, Unilever led a seed investment round in India-based health and wellness business What’s Up Wellness.
That deal came eight months after Unilever’s subsidiary in India invested in two vitamins and supplements manufacturers in the country – Oziva and Wellbeing Nutrition.
In 2022, Unilever also backed Youvit, a vitamins supplier based in Indonesia.
The Knorr soups maker acquired US supplements business Onnit for an undisclosed sum in 2021.
A year earlier, Unilever bought US-based SmartyPants Vitamins. In April 2019, the group snapped up Olly Nutrition, a US business supplying products from vitamins to protein powders and snack bars.
