Threshold Enterprises, and the existing Lotus Light listing
These are the classic pair of US health-food-store distributors for body care and supplements. Both carry natural body care brands Plantd would sit beside, and Threshold has already taken on a made-in-BC vendor. They are the right named partners, but they take orders rather than create demand, so they come after US labels, a dating plan and proof of sell-through from Meta, Amazon and Faire. Plantd is already listed with Lotus Light; it has not sold yet.
Update from Plantd (after this research): Plantd is already listed with Lotus Light, which has moved almost no units, and there is no budget for a US broker. Read every Lotus Light step on this page as an existing listing that needs demand, not a future distributor. The no-broker plan is in the report's Distributors chapter.
Lead
Threshold Enterprises
Scotts Valley, California · founded 1978
"One of the largest natural beauty/supplement distributors in the country", 450+ vendor brands, about 18,000 products.
Ships to 5,500–6,000+ retailers in all 50 states and 3,600 health professionals, from warehouses in California and Winchester, Virginia; about 40 sales reps (2022).
Body care brands carried: Alba Botanica, Avalon Organics, Desert Essence, Dr. Bronner's, Jason, Nature's Gate, Nubian Heritage, Thayers, Weleda.
Takes Canadian vendors: exclusive US distribution for Vitality Products of Vancouver (December 2022).
Vendor terms that matter (from Threshold's published purchase-order terms)
Foreign vendors expected; the vendor complies with US law.
Freight prepaid by the vendor, delivered duty-paid to Threshold's warehouses; the vendor carries risk until receipt and is responsible for FDA holds.
Most-favoured-customer clause: Threshold's price must be no worse than any other customer's for like quantities. This governs Faire, Lotus Light and direct-to-store pricing.
Advertising, trade-show and chargeback programs exist; rates are not public. Charges payable within 10 days.
$2 million per occurrence product liability insurance with Threshold as additional insured.
Shelf life at delivery: at least 75% of dating or 18 months, whichever is greater. With 24-month dating, no more than 6 months can pass before delivery. Confirm Plantd's expiry dating.
Retailer side: $250 minimum order; COD, card or net 30.
Fit: body creams medium-low, face line low. A $28.99 jar sits on shelves next to Avalon and Alba lotions at roughly $0.50–1.00/oz, and the 18-month dating floor and the most-favoured-customer clause must be solved before signing. Net per 8 oz jar: about $9.88 Estimate.
Next step: email newbusiness@thresholdent.com or call 800-777-5677 and ask for vendor relations for the vendor packet (margin, new-item fees, payment terms).
Lead
Lotus Light Enterprises
Silver Lake / Twin Lakes, Wisconsin
"A wholesale distributor of natural health and body care products": body care, herbal, aromatherapy, natural fragrance, massage and yoga.
8,177 products in the live catalog; body care lines include Sukin, ESW Beauty, JR Liggett's and Ancient Secrets.
Sells only to verified wholesale accounts and practitioners. No retailer minimum, "each" availability (it breaks cases), a low free-freight minimum, 97%+ in-stock, one-day UPS ground across much of the upper Midwest.
About 3,000 wholesale accounts (2006), including Whole Foods and co-ops. Merged with New Leaf Distributing, which adds metaphysical, gift and holistic stores: a good home for scented creams and the Discovery Set.
Owns InterNatural, its consumer web store.
What we could not find
Vendor margin, payment terms, fees, insurance and shelf-life requirements, and its policy for Canadian vendors are not public. Expect terms similar to Threshold's Estimate, small orders, and a request for case packs plus full UPC and image data.
Fit: body creams medium, the best of the named pair; face line low. Because it breaks cases, a store can try two jars per scent without a case commitment, and its gift and holistic stores suit Ritual, Calm and Spa. Net per 8 oz jar: about $9.37 Estimate.
Next step: vendorrelations@lotuspress.com; phone (262) 889-8501.
A skincare example of the usual route: NovAurora Natural Skin Care (Boulder) lists Lotus Light as distributor plus two regional brokers.
The other routes
Distributor
Reach
Terms and fees (published)
Watch out for
UNFI
Largest North American natural distributor; Whole Foods' primary distributor to 2032; UNFI Canada in Toronto
New Supplier Inquiry or UpNext emerging-brand program; 75% shelf life on delivery; six-month guaranteed sale on initial orders; a 2.5% fee on all purchases (since May 2024); 0.75% merchandising fee where stores get shelf service
Deductions and chargebacks: a 2024 class action alleges late-payment discounts; one supplier sued over $268,817 of chargebacks on about $326,780 of product. Budget for a deduction-dispute process.
KeHE
16 warehouses incl. Calgary, Mississauga, Surrey and Woodbridge; about 31,000 retailers
2% 10 net 30; at least 15% off-invoice intro allowance on new items; MCB and EP fees 8% (or a flat 2% for suppliers under about $500k); 75% shelf life; 98% fill rate
On the "New @KeHE" path, a former broker reports retailers get 50% off in month 1 and 25% in month 2, deducted from the first invoice, and no payment until initial orders sell through.
Faire
Independent gift and boutique stores; a "from Canada" discovery page
15% commission on marketplace orders plus $10 on a new retailer's first order; 0% on retailers Plantd brings itself; payment processing 1.9–3.5% + $0.30
The US retailer is the importer and pays duties; flag USMCA origin. One beauty founder reports about $500 a month in Faire ads brought 32 new stores.
Thrive Market
National online membership grocer, about 150 beauty brands
Buys direct as a retailer through RangeMe; prices about 10% under competitors
Brands are expected to fund gifts with purchase and category promotions.
Universal Companies (spa)
30,000+ spa professionals in 47 countries
Not public; spa retail usually runs keystone (50%) Estimate
The Spa and Calm creams fit spa retail; Plantd already sells through Beauty Depot in Canada.
Closed or poor fit: Tundra shut its marketplace in 2023; Abound closed its wholesale program in 2023; Shopify Handshake is discontinued; Mable is food and beverage; Ankorstore and Orderchamp focus on Europe.
The price waterfall
Where $28.99 goes through Threshold (8 oz jar, ESTIMATE)
Shelf price (MSRP)$28.99
Retailer margin, 42%−$12.18
Threshold margin, 30%−$5.04
Trade and deductions, 11%−$1.29
Freight to the warehouse−$0.60
Net to Plantd per jar$9.88
Assumptions, not quotes: the retailer keeps 42% (independent natural stores run 41–43% store margin when supplement-heavy); Threshold keeps 30% of its sell price (its margin is not public; 25–35% is typical); trade and deductions are 11% of Threshold's price (promotions and chargebacks 8%, spoilage 1%, prompt-pay 2%); freight to its warehouse $0.60. Replace with Threshold's vendor packet numbers.
Show as table
Step
Amount
Shelf price (MSRP)
$28.99
Retailer margin, 42%
−$12.18
Threshold margin, 30%
−$5.04
Trade and deductions, 11%
−$1.29
Freight to the warehouse
−$0.60
Net to Plantd per jar
$9.88
Through a distributor, Plantd nets roughly a third of the shelf price: $9.88 through Threshold, $9.37 through Lotus Light, $8.42 through UNFI or KeHE Estimate. Gross margin at a $4 / $6 / $8 landed cost: Threshold 59% / 39% / 19%, Lotus Light 57% / 36% / 15%, UNFI or KeHE 52% / 29% / 5%.
Faire nets $10.97 on marketplace orders and $13.15 through Faire Direct. One-time launch costs come on top of these steady-state figures (KeHE's 15% intro allowance, UNFI's six-month guaranteed sale, a free case per store, opening promotions): plan for the first two quarters through a distributor to net 15–25 points less.
How to approach both
A one-page sell sheet: the six body creams plus the Discovery Set; hold the face line back.
One distributor price list, identical for both, so the most-favoured-customer clause never triggers: MSRP, wholesale, distributor price, case pack (6 or 12), barcodes, dimensions and weights, shelf life, country of origin and USMCA status.
Proof of demand: US direct and Amazon sales, reviews, and a Meta plan to pull shoppers into the stores that list Plantd.
Ask each for margin, payment terms, new-item or catalog fees, promotion calendar, chargeback fees, dating requirement, spoilage policy, and whether a US warehouse is required.
Sourced anchors: independent natural retailers keep 36.6–43% store margin overall (WholeFoods Magazine 2026 survey); beauty specialty retailers take 50–60%; brokers charge 5–15% (5–7% typical); a 1% spoilage allowance is recommended by a former KeHE broker.
