Health-Ade Kombucha
LaRue made this bubbly wellness company a household name—with 60 billion media impressions, to be exact.
Health-Ade Focuses on ‘a Happy Gut’ in Its Biggest Ad Campaign Ever
You already know Health-Ade kombucha, but here's a refresher (get it?): founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife duo Daina and Justin Trout, along with their best friend, Vanessa Dew, the multi-million-dollar business now retails in over 75,000 stores, including Whole Foods Market, Target and Trader Joe's.
In 2019, Health-Ade brought us on to launch a public relations and media strategy that would elevate the kombucha category above the wellness fray. The brand wanted to educate consumers on gut health, bring attention to their executive team, and—of course—drive sales.
Heath-Ade by the
numbers
year partnership with LaRue
media impressions secured in top-tier outlets
stores now carrying Health-Ade nationwide
Our
Strategy
It's hard to remember a time when kombucha wasn't in every grocery fridge, but it was still a niche category when Health-Ade was founded. That's why they hired LaRue: to create a large-scale, viral campaign that debuted Health-Ade—and kombucha itself—to the media and to consumers. We knew the founders had the opportunity to be industry zealots, so we also focused on a business-to-business approach that gave them the airtime they deserved.
Our
Multi-Pronged
Approach
Celebrity Engagement
Through key relationships, LaRue has helped Health-Ade grow its fanbase to include influencers and celebrities like Eva Chen and Tess Holiday. We also leveraged celebrity sightings with the likes of Ashley Graham, Olivia Rodrigo, Kendall Jenner, and Justin Bieber to secure key mentions for Health-Ade in mainstream media.
Expert Press Pitching & Interviews
To cement their leadership in the wellness space, we crafted unique story angles to enlighten consumers on how the gut affects the whole body. Part of this approach was leveraging expert insights from Daina Trout and establishing her as a thought leader in the industry.
Press Mailers & Activations
Mailers are vital to gaining media attention from journalists and influencers alike, so we focused on the brand moments that would drive the most impact. These included themes like Dry January and National Kombucha Day, leading to viral mentions across social media and press.
Full Funnel Affiliate Activation
To expand Health-Ade's reach beyond traditional affiliate channels, we recruited unique partners that introduced the brand to new audiences. By aligning affiliate activity with PR coverage and key brand moments, we secured high-intent placements that drove incremental revenue and maximized overall program impact.
Our
Results
Our longstanding partnership with Health-Ade has been game-changing for the company's brand awareness and leadership reputation. Not only have we launched multiple new SKUs and flavors with them, we've guided them through a crucial business milestones, their acquisition by First Beverage Group, and later by Generous Brands. The timing couldn't have been better: when Google searches for "gut health" were at an all-time high, we were able to seize the movement to make Health-Ade the brand synonymous with kombucha.
Over 7 years of working with Health-Ade, LaRue secured more than 14 billion media impressions in top-tier outlets including Forbes, Fast Company, Inc, Adweek, The Kitchn, E! Online, Marie Claire, Prevention, Eat This, Not That!, Well + Good, Women's Health, Men's Health and more. During this period, the company grew from 25,000 to 75,000 retailers, reached nearly $250M in annual retail sales, and achieved a $500M acquisition in 2025.
Some kind words
Everyone I’ve worked with at LaRue—and I mean the WHOLE team—have been awesome partners to me and to Health-Ade. LaRue hustles, they don’t waste our time or money, and they are pros at getting incredible placements and opportunities for our brand and executives. It isn’t easy to find a public relations firm you want to stick with year after year, but we keep re-signing with LaRue because they keep bringing the fire and creativity to make us stronger + better. We truly have no complaints!
