Weekly Pickups: The "everything" shake, cinnamon water, and more...
Ft. Brooke Yoakam, @thebrandblueprint
Welcome back to Weekly Pickups!
We’re officially gearing up to go to Newtopia in T-5 days! If you’ll be in Denver for the show, shoot us a message. We’d love to meet up (and maybe feature you in some of our upcoming content 👀🎤)!
Friend of the newsletter, Zach Bingham, and I are co-hosting a coffee meetup Friday Morning (22nd) - RSVP Here
For now, let’s get into what we’ve been loving this week →
Nate’s Pickups
Tru Cinnamon
Listen, I know cinnamon water sounds like something your wellness-obsessed coworker would push on you, but hear me out…this stuff hits different.
Quick Facts: Ready-to-drink cinnamon-infused water made with organic Ceylon cinnamon and a touch of lemon. No sweeteners, no BS, just pure cinnamon goodness in a bottle.
Reasons to love:
Tastes like nostalgia, but make it sophisticated. Remember Hot Tamales? This drinks like an elevated, grown-up version of that classic candy. It’s all the warm cinnamon kick. (Side note: if you've never frozen Hot Tamales, you're missing out. Trust me on this one.)
Ceylon cinnamon is the real MVP. They use Ceylon cinnamon (aka "true cinnamon"….get it), not the regular cassia stuff you find everywhere. It's got a more delicate, complex flavor and way less coumarin, which means you can drink this daily without worry.
Stupidly simple. In a world of 47-ingredient wellness drinks, this is refreshingly straightforward: water, organic Ceylon cinnamon, lemon. That's it. No gums, no "natural flavors," no adaptogens you can't pronounce. Just cinnamon water (with a smidge of lemon) that actually tastes good.
Where to buy: Online (Website should be live Saturday 8/16 or Sunday 8/17 for preorders!) and follow them on IG for updates.
Jenna’s Pickups
PACHA - Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Sourdough Buckwheat Bread
Nothing smells more like a childhood Saturday morning than a slice of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raisin bread, crisping in the toaster oven and patiently awaiting its buttery shmear. I grew up on the stuff—and while I refuse to demonize sliced bread of any sort, I have to admit that I grew out of purchasing it. But this week, I tried PACHA’s take on this iconic carb—and was instantly transported back to my childhood weekends, but now with a brand I can get behind.
Quick Facts: A sweet cinnamon raisin buckwheat sourdough loaf made with only five organic, gluten-free ingredients.
Reasons to love:
The simplest ingredients. Just sprouted buckwheat, raisins, sea salt, cinnamon, and a dash of coconut sugar—no grains, nuts, binders, or refined sugar. They thoughtfully sprout their buckwheat, which makes it easier to digest and increases bioavailability (AKA easier for your body to access its many nutrients). And unlike other gluten-free breads—which often have way longer ingredient lists—it doesn’t taste like cardboard. In fact, it is rich with flavor: nutty, sweet, brightly spiced, with a smidge of tangy sourdough.
Regenerative!!!! I first became obsessed with the idea of regenerative ingredients when I worked on PR for Lil Bucks—one of my favorite brands ever—and learned all about the incredible power of buckwheat. Buckwheat is a seed (not grain, don’t let the name fool you!) that is used as a cover crop, which essentially means that it prevents soil erosion and leaves soil more fertile. Brands like Lil Bucks and PACHA incentivize farmers to grow these super crops, literally leaving the earth better off than they found it. PACHA is also incredibly thoughtful in sourcing its suppliers (all organic, all as local as they can find) and aims to influence its grain mills to only work with farms that are certified regenerative. More on PACHA’s regenerative mission here :)
So much care in every package. Every loaf of PACHA is packaged in 100% certified home compostable, post-consumer recycled material—AKA, you can compost it in your own backyard. With PACHA, there is no stone left unturned. It is a seriously thoughtful brand.
Where to buy: Nationwide at Whole Foods and other natural retailers, or online.
Ka’Chava - Strawberry Superblend Shake
Quick Facts: A vegan, “whole-body nutrition” powder (turns into a shake with water), packed with 85+ superfoods, protein, fiber, pro + prebiotics, omegas, and more—and it actually tastes fantastic.
Reasons to love:
A super beverage disguised as a treat. Unlike other powder supplements, this isn’t chalky or gritty—it blends easily, turning into a smooth, creamy shake, without the addition of any milk (it contains dehydrated coconut + oat milk, plus MCT + coconut oil). Their brand-new strawberry flavor, made with real, organic freeze-dried strawberries, tastes exactly like a strawberry milkshake when blended with just ice and water. You’d never know it secretly contains earthier-tasting ingredients like spinach, wheat grass, parsley, and mushrooms.
Truly the ultimate “everything” shake. There are a lot of supplement brands that claim to contain “everything,” but this gets damn near close (just look at that ingredient list!!!). With 25g of plant-based protein (from pea protein, rice protein, and sacha inchi), 6g of fiber (from flax seed, chia seed, chicory root, and just about every fruit and veggie you can name), plus functional mushrooms, pre- and probiotics, a healthy dose of carbs, and a slew of vitamins and minerals, this may just be the healthiest thing you can put into your body that isn’t a whole plant. If you’re vegan and concerned about hitting your nutritional needs (down to the micro-est of micronutrients), this is the most convenient, delicious fix.
A do-good brand. Ka’Chava partners with Rainforest Trust to protect endangered species and rainforests.
Where to buy: Online
✨ Special Guest ✨ Brooke Yoakam
We're thrilled to have
AKA The Brand Blueprint, as our Weekly Pickups guest! Brooke is a marketing and brand strategist and serial entrepreneur. She’s also the Co-Founder of AvidAI, an AI-powered business intelligence platform used by over 40 brands launching to the public in a few months.Let's dive into her weekly pickup! →
What was your favorite pickup this week? This week I picked up Hume Supernatural Deodorant. They have a limited edition collab with Vuori in their signature Desert Bloom scent and I wanted to check it to see what the hype was about.
What about this product intrigued you? The brand was started by the co-owners of Sun Bum, with Alex Morgan and Fisher as ambassadors, so I wanted to see what the hype was about. It was also co-founded by a cosmetic chemist with 30 years of beauty industry experience who created a proprietary formula to support your microbiome. It seems to be one of the few natural deodorants that actually works, so I had to try it.
Where did you purchase it, and why that channel? I grabbed it at the Vuori in Soho, but you can also grab it at Whole Foods.
Why do you love it? The most important thing is it actually works! I hate sweating (who does lol) so it helps reduce my underarm sweat and it smells so good! There’s something about the scent that I just can’t get enough of.
I am also obsessed with packaging. You can tell there’s attention to detail in every aspect of the product. It’s matte and feels so nice to hold. It feels extremely premium even though it’s cheaper than the Salt & Stones of the world.
Anything else you'd like to share! I also tried their body oil. Honestly I was super apprehensive to try it because I thought it would feel slimy…. but their body oil has to be the best body product I’ve ever tried. I may have to trade in my body lotion for that and holy cow does it smell good.
Thanks for reading! Anything you think we should try for an upcoming edition of Express Checkout? Email us at nate@expresscheckout.co and jenna@expresscheckout.co