What Else We're Consuming | February & March

1. THE COOKWARE COMPANY PARTNERS WITH DEPT TO LAUNCH ECOMMERCE – BUSINESS UP NORTH

2. DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER CAT PERSON LAUNCHES DURING PANDEMIC – DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS

FROM THE ARTICLE: Backed by a cash infusion from Harry’s, Cat Person offers high-end, quality furniture, toy and food options for felines, including customizable recurring cat meal plans. “We’re not building a direct-to-consumer company, we’re building a brand for cats and cat persons first and foremost,” said Wu. “I think DTC happens to be a channel through which we’re launching initially that allows us to build that direct relationship. But we want to be able to really quickly evolve.” Although Cat Person had planned an out-of-home marketing strategy, the brand pivoted to paid social ads because of the constraints presented by coronavirus.

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3. GEM TACKLES PILL FATIGUE WITH DAILY BITES FOR THE “MODERN MILLENNIAL WOMAN” – FOOD NAVIGATOR

4. SUITE TALK: CRAIG M. JAMES, CEO OF BARRIE HOUSE COFFEE ROASTERS – WESTCHESTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNALS

5 EMERIL PRESSURE AIR FRYER VS. NINJA FOODI – CHICAGO TRIBUNE

FROM THE ARTICLE: Bottom line – Even with this deluge of information, there’s not a clear winner. Both machines perform well and offer a plethora of functions. It really comes down to personal preference and which features are a must for you.

Get the Emeril pressure air fryer if:

You want the stainless steel surface.
The idea of a pressure cooker or air fryer is new to you. The presets are helpful and take the pressure off beginners.
You are going to be using the canning feature.

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6. IZZY & LIV: LIVE ALONE? HERE ARE 23 USEFUL PRODUCTS YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT – BUZZFEED

7. THIS FOUNDER WANTS YOU TO TRADE IN YOUR VITAMINS FOR REAL FOOD – FORBES

FROM THE ARTICLE: After spending time working as a food researcher for the U.N. and World Bank, Sara Cullen began experiencing a slew of bizarre chronic inflammation issues that impacted everything from her gut to her brain. Her journey, like so many others, led to the realization that she wasn’t getting the right nutrition.

After working with women farmers and entrepreneurs in sustainable food networks all over the world, Cullen launched GEM in 2018 as a real food replacement for daily vitamins. Since then, 6 million of GEM’s Daily Essential bites have been shipped.

Now, to respond to the demand for immune boosting foods and remedies for stress relief, GEM is launching three new bites: Immunity, Sleep and Calm. I had the pleasure of speaking with Cullen just prior to today’s launch.

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8. THE MISEN CARBON STEEL PAN JUST MIGHT BE THE ONE NONSTICK SKILLET YOU’LL EVER NEED – PUREWOW

9. MUD/WTR: TAKE A BREAK FROM AVERAGE JOES WITH THESE 17 ENERGIZING COFFEE ALTERNATIVES – ROLLING STONE

10. COOK UP ADVENTURE WITH RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON AND RADDISH KIDS – CINELIN

11. ELYSIUM: 10 BEST ANTI-AGING SUPPLEMENTS AND VITAMINS ON THE MARKET – PARADE

12. TOP 10 BEST DOG TOY BOX MONTHLIES 2021 – BESTGAMINGPRO

13. AMERICA’S MOST ICONIC BARBER SHOP NEARLY DISAPPEARED LAST YEAR. NOW, IT’S GETTING SOME HELP FROM HARRY’S – ADWEEK

FROM THE ARTICLE: For three-quarters of a century now, a rite of passage for anyone moving to the Big Apple has been getting a trim at Astor Hair…

But legendary status means little when your walk-in business—which is to say, all of your business—disappears during a pandemic. Astor was on the ropes for much of last year, until a group of private investors led by financier and former J.P. Morgan investment banker Jonathan Trichter stepped in and kept the place from closing.

And, as of this morning, Astor Hair has a little more help—this time from a brand that’s been around about an eighth as long: Harry’s.

The men’s grooming brand is giving a hand to the scrappy salon by stocking the place with a thousand of its Truman razors, one free to each of the first thousand people who stop in for a haircut. Harry’s has also recruited filmmaker and Instagram fave Nicolas “Nico” Heller to shoot a series of short videos about Astor Hair and its merry band of barbers, which will air on IGTV through the middle of April.

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14. IDEA VILLAGE: ACADIANA BRIEFS FOR MARCH 28 – THE ADVOCATE

15. LOLA BRAND: BBG VENTURES JUST CLOSED ON $50 MILLION TO FUND MORE WOMEN-LED STARTUPS – TECHCRUNCH

16. RITUAL: 7 OF BEST VITAMIN SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES IN 2021 – HEALTHLINE

17. LITTLE PASSPORTS: BEST TOYS FOR 8-YEAR-OLD GIRLS AND BOYS – SHEKNOWS

18. CAN’T DINE OUT JUST YET? BLUE APRON IS BRINGING RESTAURANT-QUALITY MEALS TO YOUR DOOR – ROLLING STONE

19. CURIOUS ELIXIR: A BETTER MOCKTAIL – FORT WORTH WEEKLY

20. SPIN MASTER CELEBRATES 82 YEARS OF BATMAN WITH NEW FIGURES AND COLLECTIBLES – SHACKNEWS

21. THE BEST FITNESS INSTRUCTORS IN NEW YORK – CURBED

22. GOBY: 9 HABITS OF A WELL-GROOMED MAN – GQ

FROM THE ARTICLE: Per ADA hygiene standards, your toothbrush’s bristles are rendered mostly ineffective after 3 months of use. They’re whittled, bent, and are just a few bucks to replace, so… replace them. The easiest and most rhythmic way to do this is an oral care subscription from brands like Goby and Boka, who send you brush heads at the proper intervals, including a heavy-duty rechargeable brush with your first order. That way, you’re not the guy who has “Buy new toothbrush” as a recurring calendar event at the start of each quarter.

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23. GRAVITY BLANKET: THIS WEIGHTED BLANKET IS THE BEST PANDEMIC PURCHASE I’VE MADE THUS FAR – SELF

24. MYRO: TELL US YOUR FUNNIEST DEODORANT STORY – MIX95.7