Proper Wild
Proper Wild is a U.S. direct-to-consumer CPG brand founded in 2018 that sells clean-label energy shots and gummies formulated with a proprietary caffeine/L-theanine blend, targeting health-conscious consumers seeking jitter-free energy via subscription and retail channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Proper Wild does
Proper Wild is a New York-based, privately-held consumer products company founded in 2018 that manufactures and sells clean-label energy products — specifically liquid energy shots (2.5oz) and plant-based energy gummies — formulated with a proprietary 100mg natural caffeine (from green tea) to 120mg L-theanine ratio designed to deliver sustained energy with reduced jitters. The company's product technology is differentiated by full ingredient transparency (no proprietary blends, no artificial sweeteners/preservatives/synthetic dyes), an IRB-approved clinical trial conducted with Citruslabs reporting 83% productivity gain and 76% reduction in brain fog over 4 weeks, and DSHEA/cGMP-compliant U.S. packaging operations.
Proper Wild operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and retail/wholesale distribution model. The primary revenue engine is its owned e-commerce site (properwild.com) running on Shopify, with subscription orders managed via Recharge offering tiered 20-40% recurring discounts; one-time purchases are also available. Wholesale distribution is enabled through the Faire marketplace (40% off + free shipping on orders ≤100 items) plus direct B2B sales, and the products are available in retail stores nationwide with a Storemapper-powered store locator. HSA/FSA payment is supported via Truemed, and the company runs an affiliate program through Dovetale, a Barstool Sports marketing partnership, and a $10-give/$10-get referral program. Pricing for a 6-pack of shots ranges from $14.44 (40% subscription tier) to $23.99 (one-time); a 10-pack of gummies ranges from $24.32 to $39.99.
The company's customer base spans health-conscious consumers, fitness enthusiasts, and productivity-focused professionals seeking natural alternatives to coffee and mainstream energy drinks. Proper Wild reports 1 million+ cumulative customers and 1,500+ 5-star reviews. Ownership appears to be founder/management-held (no disclosed VC/PE investment), with co-founder Vincent Bradley serving as CEO. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, indicating a lean, asset-light operating model, and operations are geographically restricted to the United States.
Proper Wild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Proper Wild
- Legal name
- Proper Wild, Inc.
- Website
- https://properwild.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Proper Wild is a U.S. direct-to-consumer CPG brand founded in 2018 that sells clean-label energy shots and gummies formulated with a proprietary caffeine/L-theanine blend, targeting health-conscious consumers seeking jitter-free energy via subscription and retail channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Proper Wild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Functional Beverages and Dietary Supplements
- NAICS
- Beverage Manufacturing (3121)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Energy Drinks & Energy Shots (CRADAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Energy Drink & Energy Shot Production (AFAFABAG), Functional Shot Production (Wellness/Immunity/Focus Shots) (AFAFAFAI), Functional Foods & Supplement Formats (Gummies, Chews, Powders, Shots) (CRADAGAI)
Keywords
Where Proper Wild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Proper Wild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: One-time purchases and subscription orders through properwild.com. Subscription model with tiered discounts (20-40% off) based on quantity, with automated recurring shipments.
- Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale orders through Faire marketplace and direct sales to retailers and venues. Bulk orders of 100+ items direct via [email protected].
- Affiliate/Referral Revenue: Affiliate marketing program through Dovetale, rewards program with store credit for referrals, social follows, and reviews.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Energy Shots 6-Pack - Standard |
| Subscription | Monthly | Energy Gummies 10-Pack - Standard |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Subscription Bulk Discount Tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Proper Wild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Proper Wild manufactures and sells clean energy shots (2.5oz bottles in 6-packs) and energy gummies (10-packs) formulated with 100mg of natural caffeine from green tea paired with 120mg of L-theanine per serving. Products are 100% plant-based, contain no artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or synthetic dyes, and are sold direct-to-consumer via properwild.com (one-time and subscription) and through U.S. retail and Faire wholesale channels.
Product overview
Proper Wild offers two core clean energy products: Energy Shots (2.5oz bottles in 6-pack format with 8 flavor varieties including Blackberry, Ginger, Peach Mango, Apple, Lemon Lime, Strawberry Kiwi, plus two variety packs) and Energy Gummies (10-pack of 4-gummy servings in Strawberry and Sour Lemon Lime). Both products deliver 100mg organic caffeine from green tea paired with 120mg L-theanine, providing sustained energy with reduced jitters. The company sells direct-to-consumer via subscription (20-40% savings) and one-time purchase, and distributes through retail stores nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Proper Wild Energy Shots Clean 2.5oz liquid energy shots delivering 100mg of natural caffeine from green tea paired with 120mg of L-theanine per serving, sold in 6-packs with flavors including Blackberry, Ginger, Peach Mango, Apple, Lemon Lime, Strawberry Kiwi, plus Originals and Favorites variety packs. Targeted at adults seeking long-lasting energy without jitters, crashes, or artificial ingredients.
- Proper Wild Energy Gummies Plant-based energy gummies delivering 100mg of natural caffeine and 120mg of L-theanine per 4-gummy serving (1 packet), sold in 10-packs in Strawberry and Sour Lemon Lime flavors. Marketed as a clean, focused-energy alternative to artificial energy products.
Quantifiable outcome
- 83% felt increased productivity after 4 weeks of use
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Proper Wild
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Proper Wild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
Proper Wild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Barstool SportsminorMarketing and content partnership featuring Barstool Sports brand collaborations and promotional content. Partnership referenced in blog post discussing collaboration rationale.
- FairecoreWholesale marketplace partnership enabling retailers to purchase Proper Wild products. Offers 40% off + free shipping on wholesale orders of 100 items or less through Faire platform.
- CitruslabscoreClinical research organization conducting IRB-approved clinical trial investigating Proper Wild's effectiveness on energy, focus, mood, and productivity. Trial involved 40 participants over 4 weeks.
- DovetalecoreAffiliate and influencer marketing platform powering the Proper Wild Affiliate Program for content creators, gifting, campaigns, and discount code partnerships.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Proper Wild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- G Fuel: Energy formula originally focused on gaming/creators, now expanding across cans, shots, and gummies. Competes on the same energy-shot/gummy format and uses an identical creator-affiliate-led GTM that mirrors Proper Wild's Dovetale partnership approach.
- Alani Nu: Clean, low-calorie energy drink and supplement brand built through influencer marketing and a similar health-conscious female-skewing audience. Highly comparable GTM (DTC + retail), positioning (natural ingredients, fitness-oriented), and target demographic to Proper Wild.
- 5-hour Energy: Pioneer and category leader of the 2oz energy shot format. Direct format competitor to Proper Wild's Energy Shots with similar convenience and on-the-go positioning, though differentiated by 5-hour Energy's mainstream (vs. clean-label) formulation.
Emerging players
- OLIPOP: Functional better-for-you beverage brand built on a clean-label, ingredient-transparent positioning similar to Proper Wild's. Comparable CPG narrative, DTC-plus-retail GTM, and consumer target (health-conscious millennials/Gen Z).
- Nuun Hydration: Functional electrolyte and hydration tablets/powders targeting athletes and health-conscious consumers. Adjacent category with shared clean-ingredient, performance, and lifestyle positioning versus Proper Wild.
- Bloom Nutrition: Influencer-driven greens and energy drink mix brand targeting a female, health-conscious audience via TikTok and social. Highly comparable GTM (creator-led DTC + retail), and increasingly overlapping on the energy/focus product positioning.
- AG1 (Athletic Greens): Subscription-led daily health supplement brand with heavy clinical/ingredient-transparency emphasis. Comparable on subscription GTM, clean-label positioning, and clinical validation narrative, though positioned as comprehensive nutrition rather than discrete energy.
Broad incumbents
- Red Bull: Global energy drink leader and category creator. While not a direct clean-label competitor, Red Bull sets the price-quality benchmark and dominates on-premise and convenience store distribution that Proper Wild must win against to scale.
- Monster Beverage: Largest independent energy drink company with broad SKU portfolio and global distribution. Represents the established incumbent that Proper Wild must compete with on shelf space, retail buyer relationships, and promotional spending.
- Celsius Holdings: Public clean-energy drink brand (BCAN) positioned on fitness, natural caffeine, and zero-sugar formulations. Directly competes with Proper Wild on the clean-energy proposition but at vastly larger scale across canned beverages, multiple retail channels, and an extensive marketing budget.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Proper Wild social profiles
Digital presenceProper Wild compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Proper Wild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Proper Wild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Proper Wild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Proper Wild 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 Proper Wild
What does Proper Wild do?
Proper Wild manufactures and sells clean energy shots (2.5oz bottles in 6-packs) and energy gummies (10-packs) formulated with 100mg of natural caffeine from green tea paired with 120mg of L-theanine per serving. Products are 100% plant-based, contain no artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or synthetic dyes, and are sold direct-to-consumer via properwild.com (one-time and subscription) and through U.S. retail and Faire wholesale channels.
Is Proper Wild a public or private company?
Proper Wild is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Proper Wild founded?
Proper Wild was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Proper Wild based?
Proper Wild is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Proper Wild make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution and affiliate/Referral Revenue.
Who are Proper Wild's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are G Fuel, Alani Nu and 5-hour Energy. Emerging players are OLIPOP, Nuun Hydration, Bloom Nutrition and AG1 (Athletic Greens). Broad incumbents are Red Bull, Monster Beverage and Celsius Holdings.
Does Proper Wild have an API?
No public API is recorded for Proper Wild.
What industry is Proper Wild in?
Proper Wild's product category is Functional Beverages and Dietary Supplements. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAJ, Energy Drinks & Energy Shots, with a secondary code of AFAFABAG, Energy Drink & Energy Shot Production. Its NAICS code is 3121 and its SIC code is 2080.