“First Family of TikTok” the D’Amelios Launching Be Happy Snacks

Armed with a new investment from Fifth Growth Fund (FGF), social media stars the D’Amelios are hoping that their 200 million TikTok followers follow them into CPG with the launch of Be Happy Snacks this fall. The brand, which will be under the D’Amelio Foods line, is part of the family’s holding company, D’Amelio Brands, in which FGF invested $5 million into at a valuation of $100 million, Axios reported. In conjunction with the investment, FGF partner Royce Wilson will join the Board of Directors at D’Amelio Brands.

While the company did not provide specific details about the brand, D’Amelio Family Brands owns the trademark for Be Happy Snacks and a spokesperson for the clan confirmed the name with NOSH.

What we do know, according to the press release, is that Be Happy is a line of “high-quality, flavorful, and accessible snacks,” that can “transform everyday snacking into a joyful experience.” The goods and services listed on each trademark are vast, including, but not limited to, meal replacement bars, beef jerky, seaweed snacks, applesauce, brownies and an array of beverages.

To move the products from conception to reality, the press release noted, D’Amelio Brands will work with Trusted Influence, a company that “bridges the gap between retail and the creator economy.” The service provider has assisted with brand development, supply chain efforts and brokering deals with retailers for national distribution. Trusted Influence’s website lists brands including Chamberlain Coffee and Feastables as clients and 7-11, Albertsons, Walmart, Costco, Target and Kroger as strategic retail partners.

According to its website, FGF “invest[s] and build[s] at the intersection of media, entertainment and technology.” Its portfolio list online features one other “celebrity” investment in World Chef, a media platform and meal-kit company featuring well-known chefs.

The D’Amelio family isn’t new to the food world, though: its venture arm, 444 Capital, has invested in companies including low-carb baked good brand Hero Bread, baby and toddler food brand Yumi, and better-for-you PB&J line Chubby Snacks. Meanwhile, Heidi D’Amelio, the mother of Charli and Dixie, also was a spokesperson for Chubby Snacks while Dunkin’ fan Charli had her own branded drink on the coffee chain’s menu. The family was also involved with Lance Collins-backed tea venture MyMuse in a promotion to boost digital content creators in 2021.

D’Amelio Brands raised its first round of capital last September, bringing in a $6 million seed round from the likes of Collins, Lions Gate Entertainment CEO Jon Feltheimer, United Talent Agency (UTA), internet entrepreneur Richard Rosenblatt, and Apple SVP of services Eddy Cue.

While it remains to be seen if D’Amelio fans want to bite on a food line, it seems like they’re hungry for more from the family. In May of this year the company launched D’Amelio Footwear and, according to a Fortune article from May, in the last three years brought in over $100 million in endorsement deals.

While social media celebs partnering with food and beverage brands isn’t anything new, the family joins a new wave of creators who don’t just want to endorse or invest in brands, but rather be intimately involved in their creation. See Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee or Logan Paul’s PRIME energy beverage for just two examples.

It’s a strategy that makes sense. According to a study by marketing firm Ogilvy, in 2022 the value of Influencer marketing increased globally from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $16.4 billion in 2022. A search on TikTok, additionally, shows that the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has 66.2 billion views.

Meanwhile, according a 2022 study by The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital, after seeing a video, 39% of TikTok users and 33% of Instagram users purchased a food or beverage product they did not previously know about, while 36% of TikTok users and 29% of Instagram users ate or drank something they otherwise would not have. Furthermore, 25% of Gen Z respondents said they primarily discover new food and beverage brands via TikTok.