The founders of THC beverage brand Nowadays are back with a non-intoxicating play: Unwind, a functional sparkling relaxation drink hitting roughly 1,000 Walmart stores and Walmart.com on Oct. 1, with TikTok Shop to follow in mid-October. Co-founders Justin Tidwell and Anthony Puterman, who scaled Nowadays past $100 million in sales in three and a half years, are betting the same consumer appetite for mood-modifying beverages extends well beyond THC.

The Product

Unwind is a 12-ounce sparkling beverage formulated with magnesium L-threonate (supplied as Magtein®) and L-theanine — two ingredients increasingly common in the functional calm-and-sleep beverage segment. The line carries zero caffeine, low sugar and low calories, and launches in five SKUs: Berry, Cherry, Citrus, Tropical and Spicy Lime. Suggested retail is $2.79 per single can and $10.99 per four-pack, positioning it competitively against other functional-relaxation entrants on mass and convenience shelves.

Channel Opportunity

For c-store buyers watching the functional beverage segment, Unwind's Walmart debut is worth tracking. Mass retail often serves as a proving ground — brands that generate velocity and repeat purchase in big-box doors frequently follow with convenience-channel pitches within 12 to 18 months. Tidwell and Puterman have indicated additional national retail rollouts are already scheduled for early 2027, signaling the brand is moving fast.

The relaxation-beverage subcategory has gained shelf space across functional and better-for-you beverage sets in recent years, driven by consumer demand for stress-reduction options that don't carry alcohol or THC. NACS data consistently shows dispensed and packaged beverages as among the highest-margin inside-sales categories for operators, and functional drinks with a clear occasion story — winding down after work, pre-sleep, midday reset — tend to command stronger repeat rates than novelty energy plays.

"Life is louder than ever, and while people are often told they need more energy, focus or stimulation, sometimes they just need a way to turn down the noise," said Justin Tidwell, Co-founder of Unwind. The brand's go-to-market includes paid media, creator partnerships, sampling events and in-store activations aimed at building trial at Walmart before broader retail expansion.

For convenience operators keeping an eye on emerging functional beverage brands entering mass retail, Unwind represents the kind of crossover brand — recognizable founders, clean-label positioning, accessible price point — that has found footing in the single-serve cooler door. Whether a c-store pitch follows the Walmart run will depend on early velocity numbers, but the pedigree behind the brand and the speed of the Nowadays scale-up suggest buyers will hear from this team again.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.