April 1, 2025 – The Well professional network, a growing membership-based organization committed to empowering the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and wellness community, celebrated its first-year anniversary at the Bowers Museum –during Expo West on March 4 with an event including panels on female-focused CPG brands, strategic partnerships and investment trends. The private gathering was attended by over 300 leading industry founders, investors and strategic advisors.
The event featured a ‘Women in CPG’ theme with three panels on: “Built for Her: How Female-Focused CPG Brands Are Winning Consumers”, “Sweet Loren’s: The Impact of Strategic Partnerships in CPG” and “Investing in and Growing Brands.”
“The Well is one of the most supportive, dynamic communities in CPG, bringing together founders, investors, retailers, media, superconnectors, and sages who are all genuinely committed to bettering the industry and supporting one another. It was a delight to be part of their first anniversary event, and I cannot wait to see all they will accomplish in year two, year one was truly epic!” said Bella Hughes, co-founder of Better Sour who was a panelist on the “Investing in and Growing Brands” panel.
The event was sponsored by ITO EN (North America) Inc. and partners Subtotal, Rebuy Engine, BARREL, RodeoCPG, SecureCPG, CohnReznick, Naturepedic, Glimpse and Chimes.
“We’ve been a proud supporter of the Well since its launch as we see the value of aligning with an innovative and growing organization that featured our products at curated events in California, New York City, Washington DC and elsewhere. We were also excited to share our newest Matcha Love drinks for the first time publicly at the event and at this year’s Expo West show,” said Rob Smith, Chief Sales Officer of ITO EN (North America) Inc. which was one of the title sponsors of the event.
Nick Hines, VP of Sales of Rebuy Engine added, “We had a great experience at our first event with The Well. As a technology platform, we help Shopify store owners create intelligent shopping experiences for their customers. It is important for us to connect with savvy consumer brands who aim to accelerate their revenue growth potential through their online businesses. We met some great founders at this event and look forward to future collaboration with them and The Well.”
“Deep connections begin at The Well events. Well done, The Well!” said Benjamin Sae-Tang, CEO of ‘Chimes: Candy that Works!’ who shared their gourmet ginger chews at the event and during the Expo West show.
Other brand supporters who shared their products at the event and in gift bags include Seraphim Social Beverage, Better Sour, Purely Sprouted, Buyo, Bim Bam Boo, Kombucha Culture, Heritage Kulfi, Zenjoy, Lemongrass Farms, Karma Nuts, Sweet Loren’s, Betty Buzz, Bitchin’ Sauce, The Tea Book, Crane Wellness, Weleda, Fun Guy, Fabalish and friends.
Since its inception in March 2024, The Well has hosted approximately 20 bespoke events in New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and Washington, DC during NYC and LA Tech Week, Expo West, The Summer Fancy Foods Show, Newtopia Now, Meet the Makers and in partnership with numerous brands and organizations. The Well also launched a Webinar series during Q4 2024.
For 2025, The Well is planning to expand its programming, brand partnerships and to new locations including these scheduled events:
- April 24 reception at the Wren Silva showroom in Los Angeles, CA in partnership with All Phenoms
- April 30 reception at Compass Coffee headquarters in Washington DC in partnership with Union Kitchen
- May 6 reception at the Rivian showroom in Laguna Beach, CA in partnership with Bank of America
- May 8 “Food, Fashion & Finance” event at the BOSS flagship location in New York City
- May 19 reception in partnership with Naturally Chicago during the National Restaurant Show in Chicago
- June 4 reception during NY Tech Week in partnership with Entrepreneur Ventures and Madeline & Co
- June 5 reception during NY Tech Week in partnership with Naturepedic
- June 12 panel event in Los Angeles in partnership with JP Morgan
- June 30 reception during the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City in partnership with Alliance Bernstein
The Well is a membership-based organization committed to empowering the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and Wellness community. The Well’s mission is to build a dynamic, engaging, thoughtful CPG and Wellness ecosystem where every member personally and professionally prospers by being connected to the “right” people and being able to leverage the necessary resources for business advancement.
Co-founders of The Well include professionals at Blossom.it, BWE Consultancy LLC, Cream of the Crop, The Food Institute, Force Brands, Happy Wellness Consulting, IEQ Capital, Planet LA Records, Poe Law PLLC, Roadmap Advisors, SMC Consulting, Two Shes Productions, US Veg Corp, Vierra Ventures, Vertage Foods and other companies.
Updates at www.followthewell.com and @followthewell on Instagram and LinkedIn.
For more information about this news release, please contact: Mark Nguyen, The Well Network via mark@followthewell.com.
