Lake Oswego, Oregon--(Newsfile Corp. - November 24, 2025) - Functional Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: MEHA), a leading innovator in wellness and performance products, issued the following letter from Eric Gripentrog, Chief Executive Officer.
Dear Valued Shareholders,
It is with great pride and enthusiasm that I write to you at this pivotal moment for our company. As the CEO of Functional Brands, I want to share our story, reaffirm our vision and values, and set the tone for the next chapter in our evolution now that we have become a publicly-traded company under the ticker MEHA.
A Milestone Moment
On November 5, 2025, Functional Brands officially began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol MEHA. Our decision to choose a direct listing versus a traditional IPO reflects our confidence in our business model, our direction and our brand portfolio, all of which position us to create long-term value with access to additional capital to fuel our growth plans.
Why MEHA - Our Mission
Our mission is focused on Making Everyone Healthy Again "MEHA" - a simple yet powerful expression of what drives everything we do. By delivering clean, transparent, science-based wellness and performance products to support healthier lives, we believe we are perfectly positioned to address an alarming rate of chronic health conditions. Over 40% of the roughly 73 million children (aged 0-17) in the United States have at least one chronic health condition, according to the CDC, such as asthma, allergies, obesity, autoimmune disease, or behavioral disorders.1
Our Legacy Foundation: Kirkman and Beyond
Under the umbrella of Functional Brands, the legacy of the Kirkman brand is central. With more than 75 years of experience and presence in over 35 countries, Kirkman has earned the trust of families, practitioners and channel partners. Importantly, we operate our own FDA-registered, cGMP-compliant manufacturing facility in the United States, enabling us to deliver efficacious products within our own supply chain that many other wellness companies cannot.
The Kirkman brand operates with testing standards and transparency measures that significantly exceed industry norms. We participate across 95% of nutraceutical sub-segments and conduct testing far beyond FDA requirements - significantly more than our competitors. This gives consumers confidence that they are receiving pure, clean supplements.
Strategic Priorities
Accelerating the Kirkman brand is core to our future growth. We have established a comprehensive growth strategy built on several key initiatives:
- Partnership with Market Performance Group (MPG): We have entered into a strategic commercial partnership with Market Performance Group, a leading omnichannel commerce agency. We believe this collaboration will helpcharge the growth of the Kirkman brand across eCommerce, and digital platforms.
- Prenatal Market Leadership: We have an unparalleled prenatal supplement called P2i by Kirkman that aligns to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) position statement about providing "clean" prenatal vitamins that test for 24 heavy metals, 120 toxicants, 9 allergens and 9 microbials. We believe P2i by Kirkman gives us a first-mover advantage in a critical and growing category for our business.Our goal is to become the #1 prenatal vitamin globally.
- Tru2U™: We are introducing a new health & wellness Direct-to-Consumer platform called Tru2U. This platform is designed to provide personal wellness through telehealth, prescriptions and premium supplements built upon Kirkman's long-standing precision manufacturing and scientific integrity
- Google Digital Acceleration: Google has assigned a high-growth media team to support our Kirkman brand strategy, providing free support and analysis to help ensure a strong launch on Google platforms once strategy and creative are finalized.
- Amazon & Channel Margin Improvement: We have moved our Amazon business from a wholesale model to direct management by the company. By controlling the end-to-end customer relationship, this pivot will improve gross margin, increase flexibility in pricing and branding, and deepen direct-to-consumer insights.
Strong Foundation Poised for Growth
With consistent $6.5 million in net revenue, and improved gross margin of 1,300 basis points over the last three years, this long-standing business is primed for growth with the new capital invested into business building initiatives.
A Note of Thanks
To our founding shareholders, employees, channel partners, practitioners, and now, our public shareholders: thank you for your belief, your patience and your support. We remain committed to operating with integrity, transparency and an unyielding focus on delivering positive health outcomes for consumers and returns for shareholders. We appreciate your continued support as we execute on this exciting transformation and we look forward to updating you on our progress in the coming quarters.
Sincerely,
Eric Gripentrog
Chief Executive Officer
Functional Brands Inc.
Sources:
1 National Survey of Children's Health. (n.d.). NSCH 2018-19: Number of current or lifelong health conditions, nationwide, age in 3 groups. ChildHealthData.org. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://www.childhealthdata.org.
About Functional Brands Inc.
Functional Brands Inc. is a health and wellness company focused on acquiring and growing science-based consumer brands. With a portfolio that includes trusted names like Kirkman®, P2i by Kirkman®, Hemptown Naturals, Healthy Assist by Kirkman; Functional Brands is committed to providing high-quality, effective solutions that support healthier lives.
For more information, visit www.functionalbrandsinc.com and www.kirkmangroup.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release and statements of Functional Brands's management in connection with this news release or related events contain or may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements (including statements related to the closing, and the anticipated benefits to the Company, of the private placement described herein) related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "potential," "will," "should," "could," "would," "optimistic" or "may" and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management's current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may be beyond our control.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. Potential investors should review Functional Brands's Registration Statement for more complete information, including the risk factors that may affect future results, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

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