A timeline of what led up to Grüns being acquired by Unilever
The supplement sector is a red-hot space for deals right now. But Unilever’s decision to acquire Grüns is still an eye-catching bet by a giant conglomerate on a startup that’s not even three years old.
On Thursday, Unilever announced it is acquiring Grüns – known for its green multivitamins in the shape of gummy bears – for an undisclosed amount. The press release announcing the deal called Grüns “one of the largest brands in the U.S. Greens Supplement category.” While Grüns has not publicly disclosed 2025 sales or how much revenue it is projected to bring in this year, the company said at the end of October that it had surpassed a $300 million annualized run rate.
In the release, Jostein Solheim, CEO of Unilever’s Wellbeing division, said, “As a leader and true innovator in the Greens Supplement category, what sets Grüns apart is its focused portfolio of science-backed products that people genuinely enjoy, trust and consistently use. This combination of efficacy and experience is powerful, and together we see a significant opportunity to scale the brand within our Wellbeing business.”
In an interview last year with Modern Retail, founder Chad Janis first got the idea for Grüns in 2022, after growing sick of mixing powders and chugging juices to get his necessary vitamins and supplements. He figured he wasn’t alone in wanting a form factor that was easier to consume every single morning, that he could easily travel with. So he settled on developing a supplement in the shape of a gummy bear — a staple in candy and children’s vitamins, but not for adult supplements. After months of tinkering, Grüns’ products hit the market in August 2023.
There are other factors that have helped fuel Grüns’ meteoric rise, of course. While the gummy bear is eye-catching, Janis said that taste is the attribute that comes up again and again in reviews. Grüns has also become popular among some GLP-1 users due to its higher levels of fiber (a serving of Grüns contains six grams of fiber), and they say it helps with digestion. A former investor at Summit Parnters, Janis was able to raise around $50 million for Grüns in just under three years, which helped fuel expansion into Sprouts, Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club and more alongside new product lines.
The press release announcing the deal contained few details about what’s next for Grüns under Unilever ownership. But scaling into more retail channels seems like an obvious first step in Grüns’ quest to reach more people.
In an emailed statement to Modern Retail, Janis said, “We’ve always been open to this kind of outcome, but only with the right partner at the right time, and those two things had to come together. What struck us was Unilever’s philosophy: They wanted to support what we’d built and help unlock scale.”
He added, “Our North Star has always been to build a category-defining business by addressing real consumer needs with products people genuinely love. The resources, insights, and thought partnership Unilever brings will help us get there faster and better.”
Below is a more detailed timeline of just how quickly Grüns has grown over the past three years, and what key milestones it hit before being acquired by Unilever, based on interviews Janis has given to Modern Retail over the years.
What stands out is how quickly the company expanded into new retailers and new product categories. The deal is expected to close later this year.
2022-2023: Janis comes up with the idea for Grüns while getting his MBA at Stanford, and spends about a year developing the product, speaking to 20 potential co-manufacturers and testing out different formulations.
August 2023: Grüns products hit the market through its direct-to-consumer site.
August 2023-August 2024: Janis estimates that Grüns made five different tweaks to its product during the first 12 months on the market, based on customer feedback.
December 2023: Grüns launches on Amazon.
July 2024: Grüns releases a kids’ line.
December 2024: Grüns releases a line of mushroom supplements called Nütrops and enters its first brick-and-mortar retailer, Sprouts.
February 2025: The company launches in Target.
April 2025: Grüns enters 1,900 Walmart stores.
May 2025: The Information reports that Grüns has raised money at a $500 million valuation. Janis confirms the news to Inc. magazine and discloses that Grüns has annual recurring revenue in the nine-figure range.
July 2025: The company makes its first foray into limited-edition flavors with a raspberry lemonade product for summer.
August 2025: After 24 months in business, Grüns hits a $300 million annualized run rate.
September 2025: Immün, Grüns’ line of immunity-boosting supplements containing higher levels of Vitamin C alongside other minerals and supplements, hits the market.
October 2025: Grüns makes its first foray into the club retail market, launching in Sam’s Club.
December 2025: Jüced, a line of pre-workout gummies, hits the market.
January-February 2026: Grüns starts the year by launching in H-E-B, Hy-Vee, Wegmans and other grocers.
March 2026: Grüns launches nationwide in Costco.
April 2026: Grüns launches on Ulta Beauty and announces its acquisition by Unilever.