Launch Date: January 2020
Geography: Lorton, VA, US
Founder: Shizu Okusa, Founder + CEO
Executive Team:
Advisor: Bryan Goldberg, Bustle Digital Group
Board Members:
Notable Investors:
Apothékary secured an $8 million pre-Series A round oversubscribed by 30%, including a strategic investment from Japanese beauty giant Shiseido with participation by Stella Capital, Solidcore founder Anne Mahlum, Bonobos founder Andy Dunn and existing investors Mahlum and Stella Capital. This investment round brings the company’s total funding to $15 million in equity and $6 million in debt funding via Walden Mutual Bank.
2026 Full Year Projected Revenue: $30M - $50M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Wellness
Funding: Venture Capital
Primary Distribution Channel: DTC
Other Distribution Channels:
Key Retail Partners:
Key Markets: United States
2026 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 1,700
After a demanding career in finance, I returned to my Japanese roots and the plant-based healing traditions I grew up with. I recognized a major gap in the Western wellness industry: Consumers wanted natural solutions, but the market lacked truly effective, culturally grounded remedies that addressed the root causes of stress, sleep issues, digestion, and hormonal imbalance.
In 2020, I launched Apothékary, a first-of-its-kind brand pioneering clean, alcohol-free liquid herbal supplements formulated through a proprietary dual-extraction method inspired by Japanese and Ayurvedic medicine. Five years later, Apothékary has grown into one of the fastest-scaling modern wellness brands, transforming a centuries-old practice into an accessible daily ritual for a global audience.
In 2025, Apothékary expanded into Whole Foods Market and Ulta Beauty, with a projected 1,700+ retail doors in 2026—proving that ancient medicine, when paired with modern science, can create an entirely new category in mainstream wellness.
Insights: Shizu Okusa, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
The convergence of rising chronic stress, hormonal imbalance, and consumer demand for cleaner healing has created a major tailwind for our brand. Apothékary is uniquely positioned to lead this shift.
In the last year alone, we expanded into Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, and Ulta Beauty; launched six innovative products; and saw Blue Burn become the #1 product in the Diet and Energy category at Sprouts within months—clear validation of mainstream demand. With projected 40% year-over-year growth, a rapidly scaling retail footprint, and a product format poised to replace powders, pills, and gummies, Apothékary is leading the liquid herbal movement in the US wellness category.
Our differentiation—authentic cultural wisdom, modern clinical rigor, and category education—positions us not just as a brand but as the category creator shaping the future of herbal medicine in the West.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
A Proprietary Dual-Extraction Method: We craft alcohol-free liquid supplements through a unique extraction process that captures the full spectrum of herbal actives for maximum potency and bioavailability—far more effective than powders, pills, or gummies.
Cultural Authenticity and Clinical Rigor: Rooted in 5,000 years of Japanese and Eastern medicine, we pair cultural tradition with clinical testing. We are one of the few wellness brands investing in our own clinical studies to validate efficacy, build trust, and lead category education.
A New, Scalable Form Factor: Our liquid delivery system meets consumers where they are— easy, fast-absorbing, travel-friendly, ritual-based, and compatible with modern routines. We are building the next generation of supplements—one that is clean, simple, absorbable, and clinically backed.
What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?
We are most proud of translating our mission into a real-world, transformative experience with The Journey East, our immersive wellness retreat in Kyoto. From a 14,000+ waitlist, we selected 14 customers to join us for a week-long nervous system reset rooted in Japanese ritual, temple practices, herbal medicine, and daily ceremony.
This was more than a retreat. It was a living expression of our brand ethos: authentic cultural wellness, community education, and modern healing grounded in ancient traditions. It demonstrated our ability to create experiences, not just products, and deepened customer loyalty in a way few wellness brands achieve. We want to create a wellness brand that isn’t just about a lifestyle or product; it is a safe place for belonging and community.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
That cultural authenticity is not a niche, it’s a superpower. When I launched Apothékary, I worried that leaning too deeply into Japanese traditions might feel foreign to Western consumers. In reality, the more authentically we show up, the more trust, curiosity, and connection we create. Innovation often comes from honoring what’s timeless, not reinventing for the sake of novelty.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
Trust your intuition, your heritage, and the long game. Building a category rooted in centuries-old ritual requires patience, conviction, and cultural responsibility, but it also creates deeper impact and longevity than trend-driven wellness. Small, consistent steps grounded in tradition ultimately build movements, not moments.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
Success means establishing liquid herbal medicine as a mainstream wellness category in the US, with Apothékary leading that movement.
Over the next 3-5 years, this looks like:
Ultimately, success means making everyday healing second nature—and making plant medicine as familiar as coffee, vitamins, or skincare.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
Ultra-processed ready-to-drink beverages are overhyped; long shelf lives often lead to unnecessary additives, sugars, and stabilizers. Having had a juice company prior to Apothékary, I know this firsthand. Meanwhile, liquid herbal supplements remain overlooked despite offering faster absorption, cleaner formulations, and easier integration into modern routines.
Most supplements in pill, powder, or gummy form require digestion and conversion before becoming bioavailable. Liquid herbal drops, however, are pre-absorbed, significantly improving effectiveness. As consumers become more educated and ingredient-conscious, liquid supplements will emerge as the next major shift in wellness.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
The wellness industry must prioritize education and cultural integrity. Today’s consumer wants efficacy, transparency, and context, not just products. Brands have a responsibility to teach people how to use remedies properly and respectfully. At Apothékary, we collaborate with healthcare professionals, cultural experts, and educators to create accessible content, rituals, and scientifically backed formulations. This is the path forward: evidence-based, culturally grounded, consumer-first wellness.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
I would give every customer a fully personalized healing experience—from education to rituals to daily emotional support. Wellness shouldn’t feel overwhelming or confusing; it should feel intuitive, empowering, and connected. My wish is for Apothékary to guide people through that journey with clarity, compassion, and culturally rooted wisdom.
There is so much uncertainty and change in the world, so I’d like for Apothékary to stand for an anchor, both in terms of products we create but also experiences for things that have stood the test of time.