Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is rolling out two exclusive wellness brands – Wellwerks and Nüwerks – across its network of more than 1,100 member retailers and 3,500 retail locations in 33 states.
The launch represents one of the most comprehensive private brand wellness sets introduced at retail, combining functional grocery formats with modern supplement offerings under a single turnkey program.
Wellwerks focuses on familiar food and beverage formats – popcorn, trail mix, granola, oat cups, bars and kids’ treats – enhanced with science-backed functional benefits targeting protein, gut health, immune support, focus and metabolic health. Nüwerks complements the line with a value-priced range of vitamins, supergreens, protein powders and supplements. AWG holds exclusive distribution rights to both brands across its full operating footprint.
“As Associated Wholesale Grocers celebrates 100 years of service to our member retailers, we are proud to add this new program to our portfolio of private brands. This is exactly the kind of program our member retailers are asking for – relevant wellness innovation that is easy to execute and built for grocery retail,” said Emily Detwiler, VP of private brands at AWG.
“Wellwerks and Nüwerks give AWG member retailers an exclusive way to deliver on-trend functional foods, beverages and supplements shoppers are actively seeking, all within a private brand wellness set they can launch with confidence and offer their shoppers at a good value.”
The program is designed for speed to shelf. Both lines are built around clean labels, high-protein positioning and clinically studied functional ingredients – the attributes driving the wellness category’s rapid growth in grocery. The shelf-ready format is intended to simplify execution for independent operators who may lack the category management resources of larger chains but are competing for the same health-conscious shopper.
“AWG is the leader in serving independent grocery retailers within private brands. This new program is about helping AWG members win in wellness with speed and credibility,” said Tye Anthony, chief merchandising and marketing officer at AWG.
“We built a shelf-ready program that is practical for retailers to execute, compelling for shoppers and designed to drive repeat purchases to ultimately build retailers’ bottom line. We are honored to present this solution to our members and their shoppers.”
Kristin Kirkpatrick, a senior dietitian and strategic advisor to the program, emphasized the formulation rigor behind both lines.
“From a nutrition standpoint, this portfolio checks the boxes consumers care about today without gimmicks,” Kirkpatrick said. “We prioritized clinically studied ingredients, meaningful dosages and cleaner labels so shoppers can feel confident in what they are buying.”
The launch comes as AWG marks its centennial year. The Kansas City, Kansas-based cooperative reported $12.2 billion in consolidated sales in 2025 and operates nine wholesale division support centers. The Wellwerks and Nüwerks rollout signals AWG’s intent to give its independent members a credible, exclusive position in a wellness category increasingly dominated by national brands and specialty retailers.
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