Today, Organic infant formula company, Bobbie, announced the launch of two new brand channels: Milk Drunk, the podcast and Bobbie Shoppie, the merch store – both inextricably tied to the Bobbie mission to evolve the conversation on modern parenting. As the only mom-founded and led infant formula company in the U.S., Bobbie continues to trailblaze with industry firsts, tackling the stigma associated with feeding choices where 1 in 2 moms admit to lying about their feeding choices but 83% of parents turn to formula during their baby’s first year. Setting out to change feeding culture where every parent feels supported in how they choose to feed their babies, the Milk Drunk podcast and Bobbie merch store are natural extensions of Bobbie’s vision, to create a parenting culture of confidence over comparison.
Milk Drunk, the first podcast from a formula brand, will be serving up straightforward conversations about parenthood, without the BS. Each episode will feature one notable parent and one bonafide parenting expert, hosted by mom of two, Anjelika Temple. The first four episodes are live now, featuring Ashley Graham, Tan France, Elaine Welteroth, Bobbie Co-Founders, Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy, and Mallory Whitmore, The Formula Mom. New episodes will air every two weeks, streaming wherever you listen to your podcasts. From sleepless nights to hard-learned lessons to what-I-wish-I-knews – each episode explores the realities of navigating an increasingly complex world where parents are seemingly judged for everything from breastfeeding to surrogacy to sleep training.
The Bobbie Shoppie merch store stemmed from a single doodle Bobbie’s CEO drew on the back of an envelope in 2018 showing a bottle that connects to boobs. The logo was a simple visualization of the mindset shift she hoped to make for new parents; that the polarizing breast versus formula narrative does not meet parents in their reality, where most in the U.S. are doing both. That doodle eventually became Bobbie’s logo and is now front and center in the core Bobbie capsule of adult and infant sweatshirts along with baseball hats and baby bucket hats.
“Bobbie has always been about much more than selling powdered milk. It’s about creating a movement to help all parents feel supported in their choices in a way that we did not as new mothers. We have never been afraid to stick our neck out and lead bold conversations and moving into a long form podcast format made perfect sense as a next step for us as a brand. Launching a podcast allows us to give an open mic to the incredible people in the Bobbie brand universe, from medical experts who believe in our organic product to the notable parents feeding their babies Bobbie,” said Kim Chappell, VP of Marketing and Communications and mom of three. “When it comes to the Bobbie Shoppie, this is something our community has been asking us for since day one. Wearing our merchandise represents a tangible cultural shift happening in the feeding space. Formula has historically been one of the most stigmatized products a parent can buy. We’re changing that and our merch store launch proves it.”
For a product as heavily stigmatized as formula, the cult-following Bobbie has amassed in just two years speaks volumes to its stigma-shaking culture that goes beyond feeding babies – it’s giving modern parents the community they need. Bobbie receives dozens of “love letters” every week from besotted customers about the pivotal, “life-changing” role the brand plays in their year-one parenting journey. Last year, one customer got the Bobbie boobs-to-bottle logo tattooed on her arm as a reminder “to be bold and brave.”
Both the podcast and merch store will allow Bobbie to continue engaging with customers in new ways – bringing confidence, peace of mind, and community to parents when they need it most.