Weekly Pickups: Crispy cookies, puffy protein, travel-sized go-tos, and more...
Ft. Katie Stone
Welcome to the first edition of Weekly Pickups! 🥳
In this new weekly newsletter, we’ll be sharing our favorite consumer product finds—and exactly why we’re loving them.
Bored with your same ol’ Target haul? Excited to learn about the coolest new snacks, bevs, beauty, and more? Want to support small brands with big visions? This may just become your new fave send of the week.
You’ll hear from:
Nate: The most CPG- and retail-obsessed human out there with an endless sweet tooth and deep appreciation for male skincare.
Jenna: A sucker for great branding, sustainable missions, shoppy shops, and the protein-in-everything trend (especially as a pescatarian).
A new special guest each week!
Hope you enjoy our pickups this week! Let’s get into it →
Nate’s Pickups
Sweeter Collective Hard Candies
If you know me, you know I LOVE candy. I’ll take any chance to try a new one, especially when there's a Shirley Temple flavor.
Quick Facts: Low-sugar, vegan, hard candies. And each pop (without crunching on them) was crafted to last around 10 mins making them a great alternative to gum or mints!
Reasons to love:
Fantastic flavors. The Shirley Temple was my fave, but they also have Vanilla Oat Latte, Caramel Cream, and Island Spritz. Not your average Dum-Dum.
Organic ingredients and nothing artificial. Plus, each candy is only 15 calories and 3g of sugar.
The founder was also on a recent episode of Below Deck, and I love Below Deck as much as I love candy.
Where to buy: Online (for preorder).
Tokin Chews Kosher for Passover Gummies
It was Passover last week, and it wouldn't be a seder if I wasn't a bit high, right? Tokin Chews launched their kosher THC/CBD edibles in two Kosher for Passover (and Passover-themed) flavors: Seder Citrus (like the orange we put on the seder plate) and Four Cups (like the four glasses of wine we drink throughout the meal). →
Quick Facts: Tasty (and effective) kosher and vegan—AKA no animal-based gelatin—THC/CBD edibles!
Reasons to love:
Unlike most gummies which contain corn syrup, gelatin and synthetic flavoring, Tokin' Chews are handmade from real fruit puree and vegan pectin. If you’re kosher or vegan, you’d know how hard it is to find non-pork gelatin gummies—here’s your answer.
The branding. The name. The vibes. If you get it, you get it—and that’s some killer marketing.
Where to buy: Online
Jenna’s Pickups
Fancypants Limited Edition Spring Flavors (Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Tart Cookies)
After interviewing the incredible Fancypants founder Maura Duggan (Checkout Chat to come!), I got the chance to try their newest limited edition flavors—and they did not disappoint →
Quick facts: Fancypants makes crispy cookies using real ingredients you’d find in your own kitchen (read: butter, eggs, sugar) + upcycled oat flour.
Reasons to love:
These are some seriously scrumptious cookies, and I don’t use that word lightly (or frequently) (or ever?). They are buttery, crispy, and actually taste exactly like the flavor they claim to be—Strawberry Shortcake literally tastes like the full dessert, down to the whipped cream.
They’re sustainable! Fancypants is made with upcycled flour. Plus, any cookie crumbs from production are converted into carbon-negative renewable natural gas thanks to their partnership with Farm Powered.
I love that these are mini cookies, making them a snackable sweet treat Who only wants one cookie? (The serving size is four, AKA a vague handful if you’re me).
Built Puff Bars (Coconut and Brownie Batter)
So this isn’t exactly a small brand discovery, but these were worth the mention. Everyone and their favorite fitness influencer is raving about these bars, and for good reason. I have tried so (so) many protein bars, and most are still wildly chalky and dense. If you’re usually a protein bar hater, these just might convert you. →
Quick facts: High-protein, low-calorie, chocolate-covered bars that could easily pass as a marshmallow-based candy bar.
Reasons to love:
Texture. I have never tried a protein bar with this texture, and I can’t get enough of it. It’s a marshmallowy, puffy center coated in creamy chocolate—kinda like a Mallomar (IYKYK), but without the graham cracker bottom. Light, airy, not a smidge of chalkiness. Basically the opposite of those bars that rhyme with West…
Macros. With 17g of protein, 140 calories, and 6g of sugar, these are a macro-counter’s dream (I am not said macro-counter, but I do appreciate the stats regardless). And while the ingredients don’t exactly resemble whole foods (or anything close), I appreciate the short-ish list.
Where to buy: Typically in many major retailers, but they’ve been sold out after going viral! I found mine at Costco, but you can grab them online too.
✨ Special Guest ✨
What’s the best product you picked up this week? Travel-sized RŌZ FOUNDATION Shampoo and Conditioner from Credo Beauty.
What compelled you to purchase? I’m about to go on a long weekend trip, and instead of pouring my (almost full) RŌZ products into travel-sized containers, I just bought new minis. If I’m being honest, I feel a magnetic pull towards Credo beauty and can’t really walk past it without going inside — and more often than not, making a purchase — so this was one of my more reasonable visits.
Tell us about this “magnetic pull…”: I’ve loved Credo for so long! It’s a retailer-as-curator situation where everything in their store is “clean” and, more importantly to me, high-quality. They stock great brands and I’m always discovering something new when I’m in there.
And how’d you find RŌZ specifically? I had seen a lot of RŌZ advertising and friends talking about it online, and I was lucky enough to get gifted it initially. But then I became hooked, and although it’s pricey, I think it’s worth it!
If you want to share a brand you’re loving for us to review, or if you have the perfect special guest in mind, email us: nate@expresscheckout.co and jenna@expresscheckout.co :)
Fancypant's spring flavors are to die for!