Hormonal Wellness Brand Wile Extends Retail Reach To CVS And Sprouts, Supports Growth With Bridge Funding

Hormonal wellness supplement specialist Wile’s stockist list is quickly piling up. 

The 2-year-old brand’s products aimed at women 40 years old and above are rolling out to all of natural grocer Sprouts’ nearly 400 locations and 2,200 CVS stores. The new partnerships bring Wile’s total retail distribution network to approximately 12,000 doors across North America. Prior to Sprouts and CVS, the chains Whole Foods, Harmons, New Seasons, Fresh Thyme, Lazy Acres and Plum Market picked up the brand. 

Wile co-founder Corey Scholibo, who previously co-founded compostable and plastic-free home goods maker Repurpose, says, “As we continue to grow and expand distribution, we’re really focused on building relationships with retailers who share the same passion as us about investing in midlife women’s health.” 

Sprouts and CVS will both carry Wile’s four daily herbal supplement capsules priced at $39.99 each: 40+ Perimenopause Support, 40+ Period Support, Hot Flash and Women’s Stress. Additionally, Sprouts will be introducing the rest of Wile’s assortment, including the herbal tinctures Burnout Relief, Un-worry and Un-anger herbal tinctures priced at $24.99 each, $39.99 adaptogen-infused chai drink Stave The Crave and $39.99 stress relief powdered drink Calm & Collected.

Grove Collaborative was one of Wile’s earliest retail partners. The e-commerce platform exclusively carries Wile’s latest launch, the $29.99 tincture Libido. The liquid supplement is formulated with adaptogenic herbs like maca, muria and damiana to help heighten arousal and increase pleasure. Wile reports that Libido sold out in three days. 

To support its expansion, Wile is in the process of raising a $2 million bridge round. The brand has already secured half of that amount. Previous investors Serena Ventures and Coyote Ventures, which participated in the brand’s $3 million seed round May last year, are among the investors providing bridge financing. 

“We know the needs and power of this market are significant,” says Serena Williams, managing partner of Serena Ventures. “In one year, we’ve opened so many doors, literally and figuratively. We’re excited to expand to new markets, new women and new products.” 

The bridge funding will be used to accelerate growth in Wile’s key distribution channels: retail, direct-to-consumer and Amazon. According to Scholibo, the brand reached $3 million in revenues in its first year. In the first quarter of this year, its DTC sales were up 428% from last year, and repeat customers drove 70% of its April sales.

“We are committed to right-sized growth that aligns retailers committed to the consumer education and engagement necessary to grow this category and the ability to serve the customer’s needs and demand for our products,” says Scholibo. “This will mean deepening our relationships with existing retailers while continuing to grow accounts across the natural, co-op, and wellness/healthcare markets.”

Along with Scholibo, CEO and serial entrepreneur Gwen Floyd, chief brand officer and longtime brand consultant Julie Kucinski and actress Judy Greer launched Wile in 2021. Naturopathic family physician Jillian Stansbury is among the naturopathic doctors and research scientists that the brand has worked with to develop its supplements for women experiencing perimenopause.