The Plug Drink
The Plug Drink is a Los Angeles-based functional beverage company, founded in 2019, that sells plant-based liver-health supplements built on a proprietary Korean herbal formula, distributed via DTC e-commerce and major U.S. retailers including Total Wine & More, BevMo, Target, Walmart.com, and GoPuff.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What The Plug Drink does
The Plug Drink, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based, privately-held functional beverage and supplement company founded in 2019 by brothers Ray and Justin Kim. It develops and sells plant-based, liver-health products built around a proprietary blend called The Plug Blend — a Hanyak (Traditional Korean Herbal Medicine) formula combining 13 plants, fruits, and flowers (including Milk Thistle, Turmeric, DHM, Dandelion, and Schisandra Chinensis) at a 10.83g herbal concentration. The product is manufactured in South Korea using bedrock water sourced from the Unak Mountains (Unaksan), and its efficacy is supported by a randomized controlled crossover study approved by the South Korean Ministry of Food & Drug Safety that reported 15.77% AST and 22.50% ALT liver enzyme reductions over 7 days, plus an 18.43% reduction in blood alcohol concentration within 30 minutes. The portfolio consists of The Plug Drink (a 15-calorie functional beverage), The Plug Pills (a daily supplement capsule), The Plug Combo bundle, and an EcoCart carbon-offset add-on.
The company operates a hybrid go-to-market model. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce on Shopify is complemented by a ReCharge-powered subscription program offering 15% recurring savings, while retail distribution spans more than 5,000 U.S. storefronts — including Total Wine & More (nationwide launch September/October 2025), BevMo, Target, Walmart.com, and rapid-delivery partner GoPuff — as well as wholesale through the Faire platform. Pricing runs from $14.99 per single bottle down to roughly $3.28–$3.50 per bottle at 24- and 48-pack tiers, with a HSA/FSA payment pathway enabled through Sika Health. Target customers include health-conscious consumers managing liver wellness or fatty liver disease, social and recreational drinkers seeking hangover and hangxiety relief, and broader functional-beverage buyers. As of August 2025 the company reached its first profitable month and in October 2025 closed a $5 million equity-and-debt round (with the round kept open to additional strategic investors), following earlier backing from Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow (2021 seed) and Red Door Capital Partners (2022).
The Plug Drink firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Plug Drink
- Legal name
- The Plug Drink, Inc.
- Website
- https://theplugdrink.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Plug Drink is a Los Angeles-based functional beverage company, founded in 2019, that sells plant-based liver-health supplements built on a proprietary Korean herbal formula, distributed via DTC e-commerce and major U.S. retailers including Total Wine & More, BevMo, Target, Walmart.com, and GoPuff.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Plug Drink industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Functional Beverages
- NAICS
- Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.) (CRADAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sports Drinks & Hydration Beverages (CRADAHAK)
Keywords
Where The Plug Drink is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Plug Drink business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- E-commerce Direct Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through the company's Shopify e-commerce platform. Products include The Plug Drink, The Plug Pills, and Combo bundles with various pack sizes and subscription options.
- Retail Distribution: Sales through retail partners including Total Wine & More, BevMo, Walmart.com, Target, and 5,000+ other brick-and-mortar locations across the United States.
- Wholesale: Wholesale distribution through platforms like Faire for retail partners and independent stores.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Plug Drink - Single Bottle |
| Subscription | Monthly | The Plug Drink - Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Plug Pills - Per Serving |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Plug Combo - Drink + Pills |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Climate Positive Order |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Plug Drink product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Plug Drink is a plant-based functional beverage and supplement line formulated to support liver health. The product line is built around a proprietary 13-herb blend rooted in traditional Korean herbal medicine (Hanyak) and includes a ready-to-drink functional beverage, a pill/capsule supplement, and a combo bundle offered direct-to-consumer and through select retail and wholesale channels.
Product overview
The Plug Drink is a California-based company offering a dual-product portfolio centered on plant-based liver health supplements. The core offering consists of The Plug Drink (a 15-calorie functional beverage with 13 Korean herbs for liver support and hangover relief) and The Plug Pills (daily supplement capsules with Milk Thistle, Turmeric, and B Vitamins). These products are sold individually or as The Plug Combo bundle. The company also offers a Climate Positive Order carbon offset add-on. All products leverage Hanyak (Traditional Korean Herbal Medicine) principles and are manufactured in South Korea with proprietary herbal blends.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Plug Drink
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced AST liver enzyme levels by 15.77% and ALT by 22.50% in 7 days (clinical study)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use The Plug Drink
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Plug Drink technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
The Plug Drink partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Total Wine & MorecoreThe Plug Drink launched in all Total Wine & More locations across the United States in September/October 2025, representing the company's first major retail chain partnership for nationwide distribution.
- Nutrition Telehealth CompanyminorThe company partnered with a $500 million nutrition telehealth company as announced during the October 2025 funding round.
- Kevin HarringtonminorPartnership with Kevin Harrington, the Original Shark from Shark Tank, for brand promotion and visibility.
- GoPuffcoreExclusive distribution partnership with GoPuff for rapid delivery of The Plug Drink products through GoPuff's instant delivery platform.
- BevMocoreExclusive distribution partnership with BevMo for brick-and-mortar retail presence of The Plug Drink products.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
The Plug Drink competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Sunwink: Plant-based, functional wellness drink mix brand with a comparable DTC-plus-retail motion and similar ingredient-led positioning (herbs, adaptogens, superfoods).
- Rally (hangover brand): Direct-to-consumer hangover recovery drink competing in the same consumer occasion and retail channels; useful comparable for traction benchmarks in the hangover sub-category.
Direct peers
- De Soi: Non-alcoholic, plant-based functional aperitif positioned for social drinking occasions — competes for the same 'drink instead of / alongside alcohol' occasion with plant-based wellness credentials.
- AG1 (Athletic Greens): Daily greens/supplement powder positioned around whole-body health and 'one daily serving' convenience — the most direct functional-beverage-supplement competitor to The Plug's daily liver-health positioning.
- Recess: Plant-based functional beverage brand positioned around calm, focus, and social drinking occasions — directly comparable in the functional-beverage-as-lifestyle positioning and DTC-plus-retail GTM motion.
- Kin Euphorics: Functional, adaptogen-based beverage positioned for social drinking and 'next-day' recovery, with retail presence at Total Wine & More — a same-shelf, same-use-case competitor to The Plug.
- Cure Hydration: Plant-based electrolyte/hydration functional beverage competing for the same wellness-driven, post-alcohol and post-workout consumer; comparable pricing, packaging, and retail distribution motion.
- Olipop: Functional, plant-based better-for-you beverage scaled nationally through DTC + mass retail; serves as a benchmark for the CPG path The Plug is pursuing in liver-health.
- Blowfish: Hangover remedy product sold at Total Wine & More and other alcohol-adjacent retailers; the most direct head-to-head competitor on the hangover recovery use case.
Broad incumbents
- Athletic Brewing Company: A scaled, well-capitalized functional beverage brand in the broader 'better-for-you alcohol-adjacent' category; overlaps with The Plug's hangover/recovery use case and Total Wine & More distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Plug Drink social profiles
Digital presenceThe Plug Drink financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Plug Drink leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Plug Drink funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Plug Drink M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Plug Drink
What does The Plug Drink do?
The Plug Drink is a plant-based functional beverage and supplement line formulated to support liver health. The product line is built around a proprietary 13-herb blend rooted in traditional Korean herbal medicine (Hanyak) and includes a ready-to-drink functional beverage, a pill/capsule supplement, and a combo bundle offered direct-to-consumer and through select retail and wholesale channels.
Is The Plug Drink a public or private company?
The Plug Drink is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was The Plug Drink founded?
The Plug Drink was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Plug Drink based?
The Plug Drink is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Plug Drink make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. E-commerce Direct Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Distribution and wholesale.
Who are The Plug Drink's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Sunwink and Rally (hangover brand). Direct peers are De Soi, AG1 (Athletic Greens), Recess, Kin Euphorics, Cure Hydration, Olipop and Blowfish. Athletic Brewing Company is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Plug Drink have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Plug Drink.
What industry is The Plug Drink in?
The Plug Drink's product category is Functional Beverages. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAL, Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.), with a secondary code of CRADAHAK, Sports Drinks & Hydration Beverages. Its NAICS code is 312111 and its SIC code is 2080.