Jay Shetty Expands His Tea Brand Juni Into Whole Foods Stores Nationwide 

If you’re one of the millions of people who regularly tune into Jay Shetty’s podcast “On Purpose” where the best-selling author and life coach interviews some of the most famous people on the planet—including Cardi B, Oprah, and Michelle Obama—you’ve likely seen him or one of his guests reach for a colorful can to take a sip in between questions. That’s Shetty’s own sparkling tea brand.

Shetty launched Juni with his wife, Radhi Devlukia, in 2023 as a direct-to-consumer business and in the two years since, has rapidly scaled the company. The canned teas, which are formulated with adaptogenic herbs, such as ashwagandha, lion’s mane, and reishi mushrooms, are available in more than 6,000 stores, including Erewhon, Target, Sprouts, Wegmans, and now Whole Foods nationwide. 

That growing reach, along with a repeat customer rate near 50 percent, has helped sales surge. The company projects 300 percent year-over-year revenue growth in 2025 and is on track to hit eight figures in revenue by the end of this year. 

This trajectory comes amid a notoriously tough environment for consumer-packaged goods brands. Financing has largely dried up. Since the industry’s peak in 2021, early-stage venture funding for CPG  brands has plummeted nearly 60 percent, according to Pitchbook. At the same time, brands are shuttering and far fewer new entrants are coming to market and hitting shelves. Consumer products data provider Spins put the number at 70 percent less.

Still, Shetty tells Inc. that he is cognizant of the fact he is a novice in this space. His success as a podcaster does not guarantee success in the CPG space. His company has raised multi-million dollars in funding from investors, but wants to grow in a steady and strategic way. That means learning to say no to certain opportunities, he says.

“It’s been easy to see brands just blow up really quick and then not exist,” says Shetty. “Our goal is to steadily build the relationships, whether it’s with the distributors, with the community.”

Shetty is tapping into his massive audience with a message of incremental change—choosing a Juni over a sugary soda or a third cup of caffeinated coffee—rather than promising far-reaching health benefits that has gotten other drink brands in trouble. “We’re saying, ‘Here’s a healthy alternative,’” Shetty says. 

Still, getting on the shelf is one thing. Getting into customers’ shopping carts is a whole other hurdle, says Juni CEO and co-founder Kim Perell: “We’re building for big future, but we want to make sure that we continue to grow with within our means.”

Ali Donaldson

Source link