10 natural sample boxes delivering wellness to your door
Bulu Box is a monthly subscription vitamin and supplement sample box that includes 4–5 gender-neutral samples. Supplements can be vitamins, energy, protein, digestion, weight-loss or sleep support related. Not every brand makes it into Bulu Box; the company has qualifiers before featuring products, says Creator Paul Jarrett. "We have a proprietary product matrix of criteria that a brand and sample must meet before allowing it in a Bulu Box. There's dozens of variables that we factor in like taste, size, how interesting it is, etc. If the brand survives our initial checklist, we usually ask for a sample and from there we can see a lot of things firsthand, such as if people at Bulu Box are excited about it and how it makes us feel." Bulu also offers a weight-loss subscription box designed to help people discover products to help them succeed. "As someone who has lost 100 lbs, I know that weight loss is a journey, and products to keep you motivated on that journey are the key to success," says Jarrett. Photo courtesy the company.
The holBOX is a monthly subscription service specifically geared toward women featuring 5–7 sample products. Included are products for the body, hair, mind and household, which the company selects after sampling and verifying that a product lists organic/natural ingredients toward the top of its label, offers holistic benefits to user and is sold in stores/online. "In addition to brands/products recommended by staff, once a month we do an organic market crawl where we purchase products that we have never tried and pique our interest," says Grace Wiggins, founder/CEO. "We also make an effort to feature up-and-coming brands that offer organic/natural products." Wiggins sees sample box subscriptions of any kind as a great way to discover hidden treasures currently on the market, adding that holBOX's point of differentiation lives in education. "Overall, we want our subscribers to become educated consumers who can differentiate a good product over good packing/marketing. holBOX is not just a sample box business, it is a service to women seeking to transition into living holistically." Furthermore, holBOX is affiliated with nonprofit United Sisters Mentoring Program, offering a career study program for female college students. Photo courtesy the company.
Highly targeted to a vegan audience niche, "We look for unique, artisan vegan products that our subscribers hopefully haven't tried before," says Jill, Vegan Cuts co-founder. "We're dedicated to helping people discover new vegan products they will love, and aim for them to find a new favorite product each month." Each box includes 5–8 vegan products, ranging from sweet treats to household fun stuff. Vegan Cuts invites companies with exceptional vegan products to be part of the box and responds to requests from companies interested in partnering up to reach a vegan audience. "We work closely with them to choose a product that will excite our subscribers," Jill adds. "Then, they ship the product to us, and we handle packaging all the goodies together and mailing them to subscribers." The fun doesn't end there. "We promote their brand to our social media following of 65K users and arrange blogger reviews. We also work with the companies to come up with an online marketplace listing for their product that we can sell at VeganCuts.com, so people can return to our website to buy the big version." Photo courtesy the company.
For a $7/month subscription including taxes and shipping, Walmart's Goodies Co.Taster's Box features 5–8 new foods "hand-picked and delivered directly to your doorstep," according to the website. "We always try to include a wide variety of foods, from healthy, organic, artisan and international." Each product goes through Tasting Lab where it is judged by a group of carefully selected participants. These participants are Walmart employees that work within the Global eCommerce division of Walmart and are not compensated by the Goodies Co. team for their feedback. Products that succeed in Tasting Lab make it into the Taster's Box. Products are also given a Goodies Grade—a score out of 10 based on overall experience, taste, packaging, uniqueness and enjoyment. Initial Goodies Grades are calculated factoring in internal feedback from the Tasting Lab, changing to emulate user feedback if and when it accumulates. Photo courtesy the company website.
Vitacost.com, an online retailer of health and wellness products, recently launched the Be Box Series, a monthly sample box program of health, wellness and sports nutrition products. For $13.99, each box contains full-size products and samples—with Be Well and Be Fit Boxes that ship for free and include a coupon for a future purchase. Be Well Boxes contain organic and natural personal care products, including items for skin and hair care, dental hygiene, vitamins, supplements, minerals and herbs. The Be Fit Box includes sports nutrition and weight loss products, and a Be Pretty Box is expected to be released in March with antiaging and organic beauty products. The Be Box Series does not require a monthly subscription, although customers can opt to use Vitacost’s Set & Save auto-replenishment program to ensure monthly delivery. Photo courtesy the company website.
Shipping full-sized snacks, Healthy Surprise subscribers can look forward to an assortment of munchies, including bars, fruit, nuts and seeds, kale chips, raw chocolate and all kinds of other tasty snacks. The company picks snacks that are all natural, vegan and dairy-, gluten- and soy-free, opting for organic when available and avoiding all GMOs. Photo courtesy the company website.
gfreely aims to make a healthy, sustainable gluten-free lifestyle simple, accessible and fun for consumers all over the world, offering up a box of gluten-free foods and recipes in monthly, three and six-month options. The company also supports the gluten free and celiac community by sponsoring events like the Celiac Walk multiple times per year. "We are proud members of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) and donate gluten free food to local food shelters every month." Photo courtesy the company website.
According to the NatureBox website, the average American eats almost 25 percent of their calories from snacking, which is also the leading cause of childhood obesity. Nature Box subscribers will discover nutritionist-approved snacks in their Discovery Box that includes 15 to 20 servings across five different NatureBox snacks every month. For every NatureBox delivered, the company is helping to feed the hungry through its partnership with Feeding America. NatureBox donates one meal for every box to feed the more than 14 million children in America who go hungry. Photo courtesy the company website.
An award-winning membership club, blissmobox delivers a curated box of organic, non-toxic and eco products. A point of differentiation for this program—members get to select a box from three limited-quantity options—usually one food, one beauty/personal care and one seasonal, with the option to skip the month. Photo courtesy the company website.
Making its debut next week, this company's quarterly packages of ethical food products come from around the world to your doorstep. A fair trade food subscription service, Trade as One's box contains 12 to 15 fairly traded consumables, all full size delivered every three months. Each season’s curated box will typically include staples, such as rice and quinoa, kitchen essentials, including olive oil and spices, as well as baking mixes and luxuries like chocolate. A body care item is often included as well, from shea butter soap to coconut oil lotion. The box may be specified as gluten free if preferred. An additional coffee option is also available. By providing in-depth product information in each box, Trade as One aims to connect the consumer even more deeply with the stories of the people and the land from which the products come. Photo courtesy the company.
Making its debut next week, this company's quarterly packages of ethical food products come from around the world to your doorstep. A fair trade food subscription service, Trade as One's box contains 12 to 15 fairly traded consumables, all full size delivered every three months. Each season’s curated box will typically include staples, such as rice and quinoa, kitchen essentials, including olive oil and spices, as well as baking mixes and luxuries like chocolate. A body care item is often included as well, from shea butter soap to coconut oil lotion. The box may be specified as gluten free if preferred. An additional coffee option is also available. By providing in-depth product information in each box, Trade as One aims to connect the consumer even more deeply with the stories of the people and the land from which the products come. Photo courtesy the company.
Sample programs are popping up everywhere, causing more consumers to unbox their product curiosity—from gluten free to vegan. On top of the fun factor, these curated packages are designed to help consumers navigate the natural products space, enabling them to test the waters with different products before committing and adding them to their shopping lists.
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