PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2022
Contact: Samantha O’Neil
Samantha@TCRStrategies.com
Send ‘Love by FRUITLOOTS’ and Support LGBTQ+, AAPI, Black and Female-Founded Businesses this Valentine’s Day
Bravo TV ‘Matchmaker’ Elevates Minority-Owned Brands with Curated Gift Boxes that Deliver Modern Luxury with Twist for All Occasions
Los Angeles, CA (Jan. 10, 2022) – The FRUITLOOTS Love Collection marks a whirlwind return to the world of love by former Bravo TV: Millionaire Matchmaker cast member and startup CEO David Cruz. The minority-owned, modern giving platform is disrupting the status quo in curated gifting and launching ‘Love by FRUITLOOTS’ just in time for Valentine’s Day. The collection of quirky, luxury gifts is designed to be sent to all the loves in your life – from spouses and crushes to coworkers and best-friends – and features independent LGBTQ+, minority, women, and ally-owned brands.
FRUITLOOTS is a modern gifting platform inspired by art and humor and dedicated to supporting minority-owned artists, makers, and businesses. Co-founders Allan Nguyen and David Cruz, members of the LGBTQ+, and AAPI communities, launched the gifting brand with the core value of sourcing from minority owned companies and elevating independent artists. Cruz worked for seven years as a professional matchmaker alongside the world’s most famous matchmaker Patti Stanger. He is also a dating coach, wedding officiant, and founder of FindingCupid.com, a dating and relationship website.
“I’ve always had an affinity for the world of love, and I wanted to start a company that fused my passions into one,” said David Cruz, co-founder, FRUITLOOTS. “With FRUITLOOTS, we especially wanted to contribute to strengthening and elevating the LGTBQ+ community; and we are working to find the best independent makers, artists, and entrepreneurs, and bringing them to the world in a fun, modern way.”
The “Love Collection” by FRUITLOOTS offers two curated gift boxes (Standard $75, Deluxe $130) packed with unique gifts ranging from handmade candles and chocolate to tea and stationery. Each FRUITLOOTS box delivers a surprise underneath the sleeve. LOVE recipients can scan a QR code to reveal one of three interactive activities: How to Write a Love Letter, How to Make Love Inspired Cocktails, or How to Create a V-Day Surprise Ball.
The Love Collection features items from the following artists and makers:
· Design With Heart Studio (Worthington, OH) – This LGBTQ+ artist created FRUITLOOTS LOVE CARDS featuring four exclusive designs.
· ‘Send Nudes’ from Candle | Movement (Redwood City, CA) – LGBTQ+, AAPI-owned company, handcrafts candles with soy wax and scents thoughtfully curated to capture complex and sometimes cheeky thoughts.
· ‘Love Potion’ from Aesthete Tea (Portland, OR) – Woman, QBIPOC-owned company featuring organic loose-leaf tea and herbal blends made with a strong commitment to knowing their farmers and sourcing only the highest quality ingredients from individuals and collectives.
· Champagne Cocktail Sugar Cubes from Teaspressa (Phoenix, AZ) – Featured on Shark Tank, this POC, female-founded company started with a borrowed laundry cart, handing out free samples in downtown Phoenix.
· Modern and Magical (Orange County, CA) – Unique handmade, hand poured candles from this LGBTQ+-owned company are one of a kind.
· Deux Cranes (Los Gatos, CA) – This AAPI, female-founded artisanal chocolate brand is handcrafted by French-trained chocolatier Michiko Marron-Kibbey and designed by creative director Ayaka B. Ito, with a nod to their Japanese heritage and the flavors of their youth.
· Corkcicle x Keith Haring Tumbler – featuring select artwork from the famed artist.
The FRUITLOOTS website will feature interactive Valentine’s Day content curated by matchmaker David Cruz, including:
· How to Pick the Best Flowers for Valentine’s Day, featuring Jenny Barker, The Flower Doctor – Fresh from HBO’s floral competition reality series FULL BLOOM, here’s what you need to know about the radically new world of floral giving, including the one flower that guarantees a break-up.
· Dating Advice featuring Los Angeles’ Three Day Rule Matchmakers – From Zoom dates to dating profile reboots, here are the five most important rules to follow in 2022.
· Giving Thoughtful VDAY Gifts (to Anyone, without it Being Weird) – A gift guide for friends, co-workers, hairdressers, and more.
· Digital Valentine’s Day Card Generator – Submit a love note for all the world to see, posted on FRUITLOOTS’ safe space dedicated to sharing love.
“The market is flooded with curated gift box options, but we believe that people want to support independent brands and artists like the ones we’re featuring in Love by FRUITLOOTS,” said Allan Nguyen, co-founder of FRUITLOOTS. “It is our hope that FRUITLOOTS becomes the launching pad for our makers as we bring their unique stories to the world with fun, humor and whimsy.”
FRUITLOOTS’ online shop features a shopping badge key designed to help buyers identify and understand which products are from LGBTQ+, female, persons of color, and other ally-owned brands. The West Hollywood based company’s unapologetic twist on the curated gift box is designed to deliver a conscious gifting experience that elevates independent brands. The company launched in May 2021 as a solution to how to celebrate PRIDE safely during pandemic lockdowns.
Shop The Love Collection: www.fruitloots.com/collections/the-love-collection
