Flares: At-Home Aquariums, a Hip Grandma Aesthetic, and Sweet Opportunities in Monk Fruit

Aja Frost @ajavuu

At-Home Aquariums Are Making Waves

We went out of this world with space porn, and now we're bringing you under the sea… inside your own home. As people continue to cultivate indoor hobbies, interest in at-home aquatics is on the rise: 

  • r/jarrariums (76k+ subscribers): cultivating water ecosystems in jars
  • r/shrimptank (64k+ subscribers): sharing advice around shrimp as pets
  • r/aquascape (53k+ subscribers): teaching “the art and science of aquascaping,” including plant growth and water maintenance

Along with these growing communities, there’s been a rise in Amazon searches for products such as “saltwater aquarium kit” (+197%) and “fish tanks for beta fish” (+199%) over the past 90 days, according to JungleScout. 

Posts reveal the need for easy-to-digest knowledge around maintenance and care. There are opportunities for courses, knowledge bases (such as this shrimp tank one), jarrarium kits and workshop events, and more comprehensive starter kits. 

The r/aquaswap subreddit has 40k+ subscribers, suggesting there’s potential for niche marketplaces for aquatic ecosystems, similar to rare plant exchange marketplaces (like this Facebook group with 31k members.)

Being a Country Bumpkin Is In


Source: Subreddit Stats

You might recently have dabbled in gardening, become obsessed with your sourdough starter, or started decorating focaccia. Maybe your social media, too, is slowly being flooded with floral dresses, crocheted plant-hangers, and farmers market snaps.

These trends are being driven by a sharp uptick in the following for “cottagecore,” an aesthetic described as emphasizing “nature, simplicity, and peacefulness.” Or, as r/cottagecore puts it, “Your grandma, but like, hip.” 

Monthly Google search volume for “cottagecore” is 246k+, according to Keywords Everywhere. Cottagecore influencer Jesca has 275k+ followers on TikTok. The trend has taken off on YouTube, where accounts like “girl in calico” have amassed 8.2m+ views. This embroidery kit brings in $63.9k+/mo on Amazon, according to JungleScout.

It’s time to pick up your knitting needles and take note. Entrepreneurs could leverage the soaring trend by providing cottagecore-themed decor, fashion, food, skin care -- the possibilities are endless. 

You could also develop experiences/services in the space -- think workshops for candle-making, basket-weaving, preserving, soap-making, etc.

We suggest you also keep an eye out for other rising “core” trends; r/goblincore already has 9k+ subreddit members (and would tie in nicely with the growing interest in all things mushroom, covered in this week’s Signal).

The Sweet Deal on Monk Fruit


Source: Google Trends

There is a new kid on the low-cal sweetener block: monk fruit, AKA Buddha fruit. This powdered version alone brings in $390k+/mo on Amazon, according to JungleScout.

Non-nutritive sweeteners haven’t always gotten the best rap, and are often bashed for their synthetic/chemical nature and unpleasant aftertaste. Monk fruit has neither of these concerns: it is touted as all-natural, is high in unique antioxidants, and has a neutral palette

Interest is soaring. Monthly search volumes, according to Keywords Everywhere:

  • Monk fruit: 201k 
  • Monk fruit sweeteners: 33.1k
  • Lakanto: 27.1k

Because monk fruit is a new market entrant, there is room for competition. You could think beyond sweetener powders and baking mixes -- and leverage the antioxidant and taste qualities of monk fruit in kombucha flavors, yogurts, healthy desserts, functional drinks, etc.

Entrepreneurs could also jump on the “there’s a gummy for that” craze: interest in gummy supplements is booming. Why not incorporate monk fruit to make these options synthetic-sweetener free and antioxidant-rich? Monthly search volumes, according to Keywords Everywhere: 

You could also leverage the natural appeal of monk fruit even more by developing organic product lines; market leader Lakanto only just released their organic version, and it’s only available in pure powder form.

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