How Lunr Capital Powered BEHAVE Candy's Nationwide Target Launch

BEHAVE Candy

In April 2026, BEHAVE Candy launched into nearly 2,000 Target doors. Stores across multiple cities sold out within the first week. Revenue is tracking three times the prior year.

Two years earlier, the founders were sketching out what bankruptcy would look like. The gap between these two realities is the story.

Mayssa Chehata, Founder and CEO of BEHAVE Candy, and Emily Gu, the brand's Co-founder and COO, sat down with the Lunr team to walk through the full journey: the TikTok bet that changed everything, the growth that led to a Target meeting and approval, and how inventory financing from Lunr Capital made a nationwide Target launch possible.

Building the Right Product Almost Broke the Business 

BEHAVE is the first low-sugar, clean-label candy brand designed not to spike blood sugar. Getting the product right took much longer than anyone expected.

The first two years after launch were what Mayssa calls "a beta phase." The team was reformulating, iterating, and learning. In the candy category, MOQs are steep, so every production run is a big bet. "We were burning capital while dealing with supply chain challenges that came with COVID and manufacturing a first-of-its-kind, better-for-you formula in our category. Not growing as quickly as we were spending," she said.

Year three, their team went into a full rebuild: new supply chain, new food scientist, and new price point. By the end of it, the product was there, and so was the market feedback, but the cash was not.

"We were using every last dollar to fund inventory." The team was 30 to 60 days from running out of cash and had started exploring what bankruptcy would look like.

The TikTok Bet

With no money left for paid media, Mayssa and Emily made one last call: pour everything into TikTok for 60 days.

"It had to be cheap and have the possibility of changing our trajectory fast. It was the only thing we felt could completely redefine our business in such a short amount of time with no capital." - Mayssa Chehata, Founder & CEO

Two weeks into the new strategy, a video went viral. From this single video, BEHAVE generated more revenue than the entire prior month.

The Target team came calling not long after. The cold emails BEHAVE had been sending for months had finally landed. The TikTok momentum closed the gap. An in-person meeting in April 2025 turned into a commitment, and BEHAVE would launch in nearly 2,000 Target doors in April 2026.

Mayssa Chehata on Linkedin / BEHAVE Candy

A Great Opportunity With an Expensive Supply Side

Getting awarded Target business and being able to execute it are two different things.

BEHAVE's manufacturer required a 50% deposit before production started. With multiple SKUs going into nearly 2,000 Target doors and a simultaneous Sam’s Club commitment, the inventory investment was steep and had to be made up-front and early, months before they’d see a dollar in accounts receivable – getting to shelf would require cash that simply wasn’t sitting around in the bank.

"It was this double-edged sword. We were so excited to be awarded this business, but then we had to take a step back and ask, ‘How are we going to make this stuff?’" - Emily, Co-Founder & COO

Traditional lenders were willing to underwrite only against trailing revenue, a number that completely misrepresented where the business was headed. Equity wasn't much better; investors would price the business on backward-looking multiples, not giving the business credit for the confirming soon-to-land business and revenue from Target. As Mayssa put it: "You could end up giving up majority ownership just out of desperation to fund inventory."

She added: "As female founders, you bear the grunt of these types of deals even more. We see the valuations and willingness to fund companies like ours compared to our male counterparts, and it's just aggravated further when you find yourself in a desperate position."

How Lunr Made the Launch Possible

Lunr came in first around the Sam’s Club launch and quickly became central to the Target opportunity as well.

Unlike other lenders, Lunr underwrote against where the business was heading with a Target PO and a Sam's Club commitment backing it up. Capital came in when production deposits were due and paid back as Target invoices cleared. Flexible capital built specifically for how their business worked.

"Lunr saw our potential. You guys know the reliability of a promise from Target." - Emily

From first conversation to funding took two weeks. Lunr's team moved fast, thoroughly underwriting the deal, finalizing terms, and getting capital out the door before the production window closed.

Lunr's Minneapolis base also meant familiarity with how Target operates. For BEHAVE, that translated into a second set of eyes on the financial side of the Target relationship.

"This partnership has allowed us to just breathe easy in the lead-up to Target. I didn't have to be out banging down doors for fundraising." - Mayssa

"There might not have been a Target launch if we hadn’t met Lunr. Truly." - Emily

BEHAVE Candy

The Results: Nationwide, Just Getting Started

BEHAVE launched into nearly 2,000 Target doors in April 2026. Within the first week, stores across several cities sold out. Revenue is tracking at three times versus last year. New retail partnerships are already in the works.

The BEHAVE team is excited to be heading into their next fundraise from a position of strong traction: a national launch behind them, strong early sell-through, and a cash position bolstered by the funding support from Lunr, allowing them to raise less, more strategically, and on a longer timeline.

"We can command a much higher valuation now than we would have been just six months ago when we needed to put those deposits down." - Mayssa

Four years of non-stop dedication, a last-ditch TikTok pivot, a cold email that actually worked, and a financing partner that could see what the business was becoming. That's the BEHAVE story.

BEHAVE Candy has expanded to nearly 5,000 stores, BEHAVE Candy store locator

About Lunr Capital: Lunr Capital provides inventory financing solutions for emerging CPG brands, helping them scale across retail channels without diluting equity. Beyond capital, Lunr serves as a strategic partner, offering guidance and connections to support sustainable growth.