October 7, 2021:

Brands spotted

This week, we've spotted meat made from mushrooms, a probiotic brand, and sneakers created with vegan apple skin.

We spotted two launches this week. The first is Le Puzz, a new puzzle brand offering jigsaws in 500 and 1,000 pieces in whimsical designs. Second is Rob's Backstage Popcorn, a joint effort from the Jonas Brothers and The Naked Market, a builder of new CPG brands. The popcorn's seasoning was developed by the father of a member of the Jonas Brothers' management team.

"Over the last few years, all three of us have become more curious about the food space, but this is really our first, joint brand venture and one that feels so uniquely ours because of how it came to be," cofounder Nick Jonas tells Thingtesting. "Joe, Kevin and I have been working closely with Rob and Greg [Garbowsky] to perfect the recipe the last couple of years, and we’ve been able to share it with our crew and backstage teams during our last two tours."

We also noticed two plant-focused brands for aspiring green thumbs: Gardyn is a wifi-connected indoor garden that helps you grow your own food. And second is Leaf Envy, a place to buy plants, pots, and other gardening supplies. We went deep into high-tech home gardening brands a few months back, in case you missed it.

Know an interesting brand we should have on our radar? Tell us here.