According to Steph Stoikos, co-founder of Cowboy Colostrum, her supplement brand’s hero colostrum ingredient is “the most grounded, ancient first food — what all mammals produce when the baby is first born.” It is often referred to as “liquid gold” by its proponents, she said.
For Stoikos and her business partner, Jessy Shenfeld, their discovery of colostrum sparked a business, which is now about one and a half years old.
According to Emily Hage, MS, RDN, CDN, colostrum has “beneficial antibodies, growth factors and nutrients. … Not everyone needs it, but it can support gut health and the immune system.” She does not recommend it to patients who are sensitive to dairy.
Colostrum has become increasingly popular with the wellness set. According to data from Spate, the popularity of colostrum has risen 44.8% across TikTok and Google Search year-over-year. What’s more, 58.8% of the ingredient’s popularity is owned by TikTok, indicating the boost is being led by social. “‘Gut health’ is the most popular topic associated with this trend after only ‘colostrum supplements,'” said Addison Cain, Spate’s insights and marketing lead.
Before launching the brand, Stoikos and Shenfeld were two wellness-curious consumers experimenting with different offerings in the crowded space. “We were both trying different lifestyles and diets, and the animal-based thing was the one that really clicked,” Stoikos said. “There’s been a renaissance of all things ancestral, and colostrum is really at the center of that world.” She noted that taking colostrum helped her to simplify her wellness routine. The main benefits, she said, include improved immunity, hair, skin, nails, performance and recovery.
But at the time, there wasn’t a colostrum brand that spoke to them. “All these mushroom brands and green powders have blown up, but no one [was] really doing it in the animal-based space in the way that we wanted to see it done. And the brands that did exist within the animal-based space were almost testosterone-heavy — they were branded for men and just heavily masculine,” Stoikos said. “We have no problems with that, because that’s a market, as well. But we wouldn’t really want to be sold alongside animal-based [supplements] by dudes with their shirts off, with steaks in their mouths.”
She and Shenfeld set out to build a colostrum brand that felt more like a lifestyle brand. Shenfeld pointed to Madhappy and Dairy Boy as examples of brands that have successfully built loyal, excited communities.
After a year of working to create the actual product, Cowboy’s big break came quick — it landed in Erewhon within a month of its January 2024 launch. And not only was it being retailed on the shelves of the L.A. health food mecca, but it was also included in Sofia Richie’s Sweet Cherry Smoothie.
It was an investment, but as Vito Antoci, Erewhon’s evp of marketing, told the founders, “It will be the best money you ever spend.” According to Shenfeld, you invest in paying Erewhon to be in one of its now-famed smoothies, but Erewhon then buys your product to put in the smoothie — so, if the smoothie sells, it’s a good investment. Though Shenfeld and Stoikos declined to comment on how much they paid Erewhon, an anonymous source with knowledge of the retailer’s smoothie partnerships said pricing ranges from $35,000-$50,000 for brand participation.
Since then, Cowboy has participated in three more Erewhon beverages. In part thanks to this, it has built a solid fan base in Los Angeles. To date, it has not invested in paid marketing, Shenfeld said.
On June 11, Cowboy Colostrum launched a third flavor of its powder hero product, Strawberry, and to celebrate, it is embarking on a summer of related activations — all on the East Coast, with a specific focus on the Hamptons. “We decided to focus a lot of our marketing spend in New York and on building out a New York presence,” Shenfeld said. Strawberry joins a line-up of Chocolate- and Vanilla-flavored colostrum powders, as well as an unflavored offering. A 4.2-ounce canister sells for $69. Travel packs including 30 single-serving sachets are $59.
The Strawberry launch strategy includes East Coast beverage-based marketing, too. On June 4, Cowboy Colostrum launched a Strawberry Matcha at Pura Vida, which has 35 locations across Florida and New York. “Pura Vida is literally the closest thing to [Erewhon], in terms of clout,” Shenfeld said. Cowboy Colostrum also has a partnership with two Hamptons locations of Jack’s Coffee, in Amagansett and Sag Harbor, on a drink called the Cowboy Jack. Featuring its Chocolate colostrum powder, cold brew and milk, it will be available throughout the summer.
Outside of beverages, the brand has partnered with Post House, a boutique fitness studio in the Hamptons, on class takeovers and an in-studio drink bar. It will also be able to send its customers in for free classes throughout the summer. The studio also sells Cowboy Colostrum, which regularly sells out, its founders said. In addition, the brand will be orchestrating class takeovers at heated pilates studio Fuze House’s three locations, in New York City, Montauk and Miami. Finally, Cowboy Colostrum has wrapped a Hamptons Jitney, which will be running from June 23-July 30, in imagery from its Strawberry launch campaign.
The focus on the Hamptons made sense, given that the Long Island enclave has become a wellness mecca unto itself, Shenfeld said. “I can’t even count how many different workout studios there are,” she said. “Our typical customer is out here in the summer, plus the Hamptons gets a lot of media time. Everyone loves their Hamptons moment: They’re posting, they’re sharing — it’s an exciting place to be.”
The launch of Strawberry is also the first time the brand has enlisted a celebrity or influencer to be the face of a campaign. Hannah Godwin (1.5 million Instagram followers; the brand has 58,000), known for “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor in Paradise,” not only starred in the brand’s campaign for its new flavor, but she also creative-directed it. Godwin had been looking for a good colostrum and was attracted to the “cool girl brand” of Cowboy, she told Glossy.
“With how much I travel, I needed really good immunity support,” she said. She was connected to Stoikos and Shenfeld via mutual acquaintances on their respective teams. Godwin also stars in the shoot, alongside a barrel of strawberries — she’s clad in red and white gingham and a pink milk moustache. The text reads “Got Strawberry?” Godwin called the aesthetic of the shoot, “Calibama.” “I heard strawberry, and [I thought]: cowboy, summertime, Americana,” she said.
“You would look at [Godwin] and think she walked off the farm wearing gingham and eating strawberries already. So, to plug her into this campaign felt right and really aligned,” Stoikos said.
Through May this year, Cowboy Colostrum has seen 1,300% year-over-year sales growth, a 45% retention rate, 1,300%+ year-over-year growth in active subscribers, and a 748% growth in wholesale and retail revenue.
And Godwin is proving an impactful partner. According to Stoikos, the launch of Strawberry was Cowboy’s biggest sales day to date. “A lot of that had to do with having Hannah tied to the campaign,” she said. “[One of our posts featuring Hannah] got the most engagement we’ve ever had on our socials and across our community.”
For its 10th anniversary, Petite Plume casts its first influencer campaign
Luxury pajama brand Petite Plume — which nearly doubled its revenue in 2024, according to its CMO, Fanny Quehe — is celebrating 10 years in business with its first-ever influencer campaign. The nine tastemakers featured in the campaign are all individuals who established relationships with the brand. The campaign, dubbed a “Family Affair,” celebrates the ways these individuals have integrated the brand into “their most meaningful moments, from first holidays to bedtime routines,” Quehe said.
The campaign began to roll out this week, but it will last six weeks to allow for true storytelling, she said. “It allows us to show up in a highly intentional way across both organic and paid channels,” Quehe said. The brand hopes to reach new customers, too — particularly families, “by showing them not just what we make, but also how we make them feel: nostalgic, comforted, connected and seen.”
The people featured in the campaign were chosen based on their influence, versus follower count, Quehe said. They include Sade Lythcott, CEO of the National Black Theatre in Harlem; Kelly McKee Zajfen, a maternal health advocate and co-founder of Alliance of Moms; McKee Zajfen’s daughter, Kara Elkin, stylist and co-founder of styling studio Elkin; and Pia Baroncini, founder of the fashion brand LPA, who appears alongside her mother, daughter and son.
Collab of the week: Adanola x Lexxola
Cool-girl Brit athleisure brand Adanola has teamed up with cool-girl Brit eyewear brand Lexxola for a reasonably priced collection, comprising one pair of sunglasses ($150) and a travel case ($90).
“From the very start of Adanola, I’ve always wanted our products to feel completely effortless and fit into our customers’ everyday lives,” said Hyrum Cook, founder of Adanola, noting that the Lexxola sunnies fit the bill. The collab marks Adanola’s first-ever brand partnership. “Working with Lexxola’s expertise in producing cult eyewear products, we’ve created a collection that is an extension to Adanola’s core offering and fits seamlessly into our customers’ everyday uniform,” Cook told Glossy.
Zane Saleh, Lexxola CEO, added, “We’re proud to have designed a collection we’re confident both of our communities will want to wear every day.”
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