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Ayoh Hits Whole Foods, Equip Launches Prime Bar, and Spoonful’s Athletic Playbook

Ayoh Hits Whole Foods, Equip Launches Prime Bar, and Spoonful’s Athletic Playbook

Hey Everybody!It’s a stacked few weeks ahead for the DTC world, as always.From mayo going national to protein bars that actually slap. Plus, a major shift in how people shop online is quietly taking shape thanks to OpenAI. 

Let’s get into it...

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Weekly Updates:

Ayoh! Hits Whole Foods Nationwide

One of the most buzzed-about condiment launches of the year just leveled up.

Ayoh! Foods — the sandwich-obsessed mayo brand by chef Molly Baz — is now rolling out nationwide in Whole Foods. The lineup includes Hot Giardinayo, Dill Pickle, and an exclusive Umami SKU just for WFM (July–Sept).

In just 7 months, Ayoh! has:

  • Sold 170,000+ bottles
  • Raised a $4.5M seed round led by Imaginary Ventures
  • Built a cult following online and IRL

Co-founder David McCormick (ex–Whole Foods) says the goal is simple: bring the sandwich shop to your countertop.

Might be mayo now, but Heinz-level ambitions are on the menu.

Equip Launches Grass-Fed Prime Bar

Equip just launched a protein bar that’s actually food.

Built by Dr. Anthony Gustin and backed by real ingredients, the Prime Bar is packed with:

  • 20g protein from grass-fed beef & collagen
  • Colostrum for gut, immune & recovery support
  • No seed oils, fake fibers, or binders
  • Naturally sweetened with dates + honey

Comes in Chocolate or Mixed Berry$49.99 / 12-pack ($4.16/bar) — Preorder here

Bonus: It's third-party tested for protein accuracy, heavy metals, microplastics, and glyphosate. A rare flex.

Brightland Drops Everyday Olive Oils

Luxury olive oil brand Brightland just made a bold move: a new line of affordable $19.99 squeeze bottles for daily use — launching in Whole Foods this August.

What’s new:

  • Everyday Salad Oil (bold, peppery for finishing)
  • Everyday Cooking Oil (milder, heat-stable to 445°F)
  • Same Brightland quality, now Graza-style bottles
  • Available now online

CEO Aishwarya Iyer says this was 3 years in the making. A smart bet for pantry penetration.

Tech Shoutout:

ChatGPT Is Now a Shopping Assistant

OpenAI just rolled out product search inside ChatGPT — no ads, just clean, citation-backed recommendations.

You can now ask ChatGPT things like “best trail running shoes under $150” and get:

  • Live product cards
  • Prices + links
  • Trusted review sources

Merchants can opt in via feeds and SearchBot visibility.

Try it → ChatGPT Product Discovery

A quiet but massive shift in how people shop online is beginning. Watch this space.

Founder Spotlight: Bradley Gifford | Spoonful

Q: What inspired you to start this brand, and what were the first steps you took to bring it to life? I grew up in Fort Greene, Brooklyn with high blood pressure and spent years playing basketball without understanding how food affected my energy and performance. After a rough college season, I overhauled my routine—running at dawn, lifting or boxing at night—and dropped 70 pounds in one summer. That grind taught me two things: most convenient food is bland or nutritionally empty, and many Black and Latino neighborhoods (including mine) face food deserts and high lactose intolerance. I wanted a grab-and-go option that tasted great, hit serious macros, and was actually affordable. So I spent a summer in a friend’s apartment mixing oats, protein powders, sweeteners, and fruits until I had a neutral “base”—the Ben-&-Jerry’s approach to endless flavors. I interviewed dozens of people who lived the same time-starved life, dialed in the formula, and launched our first product in a shiny aluminum jar—even before I knew what my pricing strategy should be.

Q: What sets your product apart in a crowded market? Spoonful sits at the intersection of taste, function, and culture. Think of us as the “Gatorade of functional breakfast”—14 grams of organic plant protein, slow-burn carbs, and real fruit, all in a grab-and-go cup with a 14-day refrigerated shelf life. We meet people—not just “where” they are, but when they need us: mid-gym session, racing to work, or between classes. The branding is playful and street-inspired, so the cup feels as comfortable in a boutique coffee shop or D-1 locker room as it does in a fridge at home. Consumers have proved they’ll pay a couple bucks more because they feel that belonging and see the quality immediately.

Q: What’s been the biggest challenge so far, and how did you overcome it? Cold-chain reality hit hard. Our first iteration—fresh fruit, almond milk, maple syrup in a metal container—fermented on trucks and spoiled fast. I had zero food-science background, so I took a crash course: reformulated with a temperature “kill step,” switched packaging, extended shelf life, and kept the label clean. On the ops side, scaling door-to-door coffee-shop success wouldn’t work without logistics help, so we partnered with distributors like Odeko and leaned on our co-packer to ship pallet loads straight to universities and gyms. I also built a small team (chief-of-staff, e-comm, CRM) so I’m no longer a solo founder juggling everything myself.

Q: How are you approaching growth in these early stages—what channels or strategies are most important to you? Instead of chasing every grocery chain, we’re going inch-wide, mile-deep on Operation Feed the Athletes. Our product already flies in specialty coffee shops, offices, hotels, and gyms, so we’re doubling down on places where performance matters: Division-1 athletic programs, pro training facilities, and high-end fitness hubs. Those B2B accounts give us sticky velocities, built-in community marketing, and nationwide visibility without burning through paid ads. DTC is still alive—but our site functions more like a storytelling hub and subscription portal than a hard-sell storefront. Community events, campus activations, and UGC from athletes do the heavy lifting.

Q: One year from now, what does success look like for you and the brand? By this time next year, I want Spoonful stocked in the fridges of UConn basketball, Oregon track, Miami football, Boston College—and on the breakfast tables of at least one pro team (I keep saying we’ll be the official breakfast of the Nets or the Knicks before we hit every Whole Foods). If we’re the name athletes trust for clean, convenient fuel, the retail doors will open on our terms. That focused win—being a household name inside the athletic universe—is my definition of success for 2026.

Watch the full convo →

Tool We’re Watching

Zest – The fastest way to turn gifting into growth
Zest is powering the next wave of eCommerce gifting with a seamless, fully integrated platform that lives right on your site. From corporate orders to consumer gifts and event bundles, Zest makes it insanely easy for anyone to send your product — with tools like multi-ship checkout, e-gifting via link or text, and concierge-level project support. Top brands like Milk Bar and Brightland are already using it to unlock overnight revenue and boost brand reach.

Check it out → zest.co

Real brand momentum isn’t built overnight, it’s earned in the choices no one sees: better formulations, bolder packaging, smarter ops, and meeting people where they already live. 

If you’ve got a launch, story, or trend you want covered, just hit reply. Always excited to spotlight what’s next.

Catch you next week ✌️

— Zach

P.S. If you found value in this, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague who's interested in brand building, consumer trends, or the future of retail. And as always, hit reply with any thoughts — I read every message.