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Prima Acquires Prospect Farms and Forms Uplifter Brands

Published December 13, 2022
Published December 13, 2022
Prima

Prima, the science-driven, plant therapeutic wellness brand and certified B Corp, has acquired Prospect Farms. Together, they will form Uplifter Brands, a next-gen CPG house of clean and conscious brands across personal care, supplements, spa and hospitality, private label, and pet wellness.

WHO: Privately held Prospect Farms is a leading CPG wellness platform, fueling leading wellness brands with all-natural ingredients and botanical blends, all from their farm in Prospect, Maine. Operating from a state-of-the-art, fully vertically integrated manufacturing and farming complex, Prospect Farms supports a comprehensive wellness portfolio of over 50 benefit-focused botanical products. The brand's wellness portfolio includes premium tinctures and topical products, while their veterinarian-recommended pet line includes products designed to improve mood and mobility, specially formulated for size and diet.

Prima is a science-backed whole-body wellness brand that makes potent plant therapeutic skincare, body care, and supplements with organic hemp CBD and functional botanicals to help combat stress and target issues at their source. Prima was founded by Christopher Gavigan, The Honest Company co-founder, bestselling author, and purpose-driven entrepreneur, Laurel Angelica Myers, mission-oriented operator and former Honest alum, and Jessica Assaf, women's health and cannabis activist, in 2019. Built on a core foundation of sustainability, transparency, accountability, and social leadership, Prima is Climate Neutral Certified, Certified Plastic Neutral, and a Certified B Corp. Prima is a privately held Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) based in Santa Monica, CA. As well as on its own site, Prima's products are sold at Sephora, The Vitamin Shoppe, and other retailers.

WHY: This deal creates a vertically integrated business that will fuel profitability. The creation of Uplifter Brands is uniquely positioned to take market share across multiple verticals and lead the slow-to-evolve wellness categories of US beauty and personal care market ($80 billion), global pain management therapeutics market ($72 billion), US stress market ($70 billion), and US pet care market ($103.6 billion).

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "At a time when many of our competitors are shutting down, consolidating, or moving away from cannabinoids all-together, we're doubling down on the ingredient and its vast therapeutic benefits," says Laurel Angelica Myers, Uplifter Brands' co-CEO. "With the acquisition of a USDA Certified Organic hemp farm and an even bigger plan to lead the wellness category with the cleanest, science-backed botanical therapeutic products, we can't wait to share what's coming next."

"We're thrilled to join Prima and partner closely with their team of proven consumer products experts to build Uplifter Brands, which is uniquely positioned to be the next generation wellness platform with a portfolio of truly trusted products for the whole family. Our house of purpose-driven brands, underpinned by an unwavering commitment to sourcing, science and standards, will lead the wellness category with formulation science, operational excellence, and vertical integration from seed-to-store," says Brad Tipper, Uplifter Brands' Co-CEO.

"This is a moment to lead with uncompromising conviction and vision––to architect brands that are boldly conscious, rigorously clean, standards-led, socially just, and environmentally accountable—to ensure consumers can access new and better innovations for healthier, more sustainable lives. Together with our incredibly talented team and partners, the Uplifter Brands platform will further expand our healthcare and climate commitments, as well as our public benefit business leadership," says Christopher Gavigan, Uplifter Brands' Executive Chairman.

DETAILS:

  • Prima has acquired Prospect Farms. Together, they will form Uplifter Brands, a platform of clean and conscious brands across personal care, supplements, spa and hospitality, private label, and pet wellness.
  • Strategic investors advising the transaction include Spencer Potts, Managing Partner of Maximalist, who will serve on the Uplifter Brands Board of Directors. 
  • Notable investors in Uplifter Brands include Maximalist, Greycroft, Lerer Hippeau, Global Founders Capital, Ropart Asset Management, and Platform Ventures. 
  • BraunHagey & Borden LLP acted as legal advisor to Prima. Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal advisor to Prospect Farms.
  • Prima's Laurel Angelica Myers and Prospect Farms' Brad Tipper will lead Uplifter Brands as co-Chief Executive Officers, while Prima founder Christopher Gavigan, previous co-founder and Chief Product Officer of The Honest Company, will be Executive Chairman. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
  • Uplifter Brands is led by a seasoned team of proven operators, brand builders, and creators. Executive Chairman Christopher Gavigan holds a proven track record of partnering with celebrity and notable advocates to transform underserved industries and ignite consumer consciousness. With co-CEOs Laurel Angelica Myers of Prima (and formerly Honest) and Brad Tipper of Prospect Farms at the helm, Uplifter Brands' next innovative company, launching early 2023, will strategically target the underserved pet health category alongside actress, model, and advocate Brooke Shields as the Chief Brand Officer.
  • In May 2021, Prima closed a $9.2 million seed plus financing led by leading institutional venture firms Greycroft, H Ventures, Defy, Lerer Hippeau, Marc VC, Global Founders Capital, Emerald Health, One Gun, and Purple Arch Ventures.
  • In February 2019, Prima secured $3.275 million from venture leaders Lerer Hippeau and Greycroft.
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