Personal care company Bravo Sierra raised funding to support its launch at Walmart stores nationwide, and also added L'Occitane's Nicolas Geiger to its board.
WHO: Launched in September of 2019, Bravo Sierra is a pioneering nontraditional defense contractor that engineers performance products to meet the needs of both the military and civilian consumers. The US military-inspired line was founded by Justin Guilbert, co-founder of coconut water brand Harmless Harvest and snack brand GoodFish, and Benjamin Bernet, who formerly led marketing at Kiehl's and L'Oréal Luxe. They refer to the military as the original wellness lifestyle brand, and crowdsourced ideas with an online community of 2,500 US Special Operations Forces active service members and veterans.
The assortment consists of 15 products in four scents: white vetiver and cedarwood; citrus and cedarwood; sandalwood and fig; and tonka bean and lemon. The brand launched with global distribution in Military Exchanges on US Army and Air Force bases. Currently the brand has distribution at Target, Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and recently 4,500 stores Walmart stores.
WHY: The fresh capital will further support the brand's military community and product innovation while accelerating its omnichannel strategy and investing in product innovation. The funding will also be deployed to support a launch with Walmart.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "For the last four years, we have been at the forefront of creating affordable, high quality, made in the USA, clean and effective personal care products to meet the needs of all those who lead active lives. A meaningful portion of this raise will be allocated to deepening our mission to support our military-native community," said Benjamin Bernet, co-CEO and founder of Bravo Sierra.
"The Merchant Club brings a wealth of knowledge around retail expansion. Launching into Walmart will advance our mission to make high quality clean products available to the broadest audience possible at affordable price points," said Justin Guilbert, co-CEO and founder of Bravo Sierra.
"Bravo Sierra's unique community-driven model, expert team, and commitment to its mission stood out as we seek to identify what will be the success stories of consumer culture in the future. With three years in the market establishing an instantly recognizable and distinct DNA, and a clear path to critical mass with Target, Amazon and Walmart, we are confident and honored to lead this funding round for what will be one of America's next great brands," said Laurent Ghouzi, Partner at The Merchant Club.
“Justin and Benjamin know what they are talking about, are confident in their approach and are not afraid to talk about the issues and challenges on top of the opportunities that Bravo Sierra has," Nicolas Geiger, senior advisor at Redo Ventures and President of L'Occitane Group in Japan, told Glossy. "The army community they developed and used to construct their product portfolio and the quality of their branding made it clear they are trying to develop something different and unique on the market."
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