At Survey, we believe great brands deserve great visibility. Our new monthly series, Survey Spotlight, celebrates the visionary founders and innovative brands we’re proud to support and highlights how strong in-store execution brings their mission to life at retail.
For Women’s History Month, we’re honored to feature MOSH, co-founded by journalist, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and former First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, alongside her son Patrick Schwarzenegger.
After witnessing her father’s battle with Alzheimer’s, Maria Shriver made brain health her life’s work. That deeply personal journey ultimately led to the creation of MOSH, a brand designed to make proactive brain health part of everyday life.
Below is our Q&A with Maria Shriver. (Responses shared by MOSH.)
Q: Can you share the inspiration behind launching MOSH and the mission driving the brand today?
MOSH’s story goes back more than 20 years, to when my father passed away from Alzheimer’s. I saw firsthand how deeply brain health impacts not just one person, but an entire family. Since then, I’ve dedicated my career to learning everything I can about cognitive decline and the lifestyle factors that influence brain health.
We wanted to build a brand that makes brain health part of your everyday routine—something approachable, actionable, and empowering.
Maria Shriver
Years later, I started MOSH with my son, Patrick, with a simple but powerful mission: to inspire people of all generations to proactively care for their brains. We wanted to build a brand that makes brain health part of your everyday routine—something approachable, actionable, and empowering.
That’s why every MOSH bar is crafted with our signature Brain Blend, featuring ingredients like lion’s mane, omega-3s, essential vitamins, and Cognizin® citicoline, which has been clinically studied to support brain health.
Today, our mission is bigger than protein bars. It’s about changing the conversation around brain health and giving back. A portion of proceeds supports the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, helping fund critical research and education for future generations.
Q: What gap did you see in the market around brain health and purposeful nutrition?
When we looked at the market, we realized brain health was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Brain health was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Maria Shriver
It was everywhere in conversation. People were starting to talk about focus, memory, longevity, and mental clarity. They were investing in supplements, nootropics, and functional beverages.
But in the snack aisle, where people make everyday nutrition decisions, the focus was almost entirely on physical performance: protein, keto, low sugar.
No one had built a brand around nourishing the brain in a way that was convenient, craveable, and part of a daily ritual.
That was the opportunity. There was the gap.
Q: How does MOSH differentiate itself within the better-for-you snack space?
We’re not just in the better-for-you category — we’re helping shape it.
Function only works if consumers come back for it again and again.
Maria Shriver
Every bar includes 11-13g of protein and our Signature Brain Blend, intentionally designed to support brain health in a way that fits into everyday life. We never compromise on taste, because function only works if consumers come back for it again and again.
Then, there’s our mission. A portion of proceeds supports gender-based research at the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic, keeping impact at the core of our business model. This isn’t a trend for us—it’s deeply personal.
And lastly, we’ve built a brand around brain health. As conversations around longevity and cognitive wellness continue to grow, MOSH has emerged as a defining voice in brain-forward nutrition. Strong in-store representation helps bring that education to life, making it easier for consumers to discover that brain health belongs alongside protein in their daily routine.
Q: How does purpose-driven leadership influence the way MOSH builds community and connects with consumers?
For me, purpose is the reason we exist. MOSH began with my father’s journey, but what’s been incredibly powerful is seeing how many of our customers carry their own personal connection to cognitive decline. There’s a shared emotional truth between our story and theirs. That alignment transforms MOSH from a functional snack into something more meaningful—a brand people trust, advocate for, and stay loyal to.
Purpose-driven leadership means we prioritize transparency, thoughtful formulation, and real conversations around cognitive wellness. It also means recognizing that women, in particular, often carry the dual role of health decision-maker and caregiver.
As a female founder in CPG, I believe leadership today is about empathy, education, and impact. We’re not just selling products, we’re building a movement around proactive brain health, grounded in community and shared values.
Q: Is there anything you’d like retailers or consumers to know about MOSH this Women’s History Month?
Women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s — both as patients and as caregivers. Building a brain health brand as a woman, inspired by my father, carries a sense of purpose for me.
To our retailer partners, I’d say: consumers are actively seeking brands that stand for something bigger. Brain health is becoming a central part of the wellness conversation, and MOSH is proud to be leading that movement within the snack aisle. Thoughtful placement and strong in-store visibility don’t just drive sales — they drive awareness around proactive cognitive wellness.
And to consumers: investing in your brain is one of the most powerful acts of self-care. If MOSH can make that choice feel simple, accessible, and delicious, then we’re fulfilling our purpose.
Launching a brand is only the beginning. Execution at shelf is what transforms vision into velocity.
Execution at shelf is what transforms vision into velocity.
Survey Spotlight
When asked about the importance of in-store merchandising and execution, Maria shared:
For an emerging brand, getting a purchase order from a retailer feels like crossing the finish line but it’s just the start! The real work is making sure that product actually makes it onto the shelf, stays there, and performs.
When a brand is new to a store, a store manager is rarely aware of it. They’re juggling hundreds of SKUs, staffing issues, and a dozen other priorities. No one is monitoring your sell-through, no one is noticing when your facings get pushed to the back, and there’s certainly no one making sure your promotional price is actually ringing correctly at the register. Without a merchandising presence, you’re invisible. In retail, invisible means failing.
Without a merchandising presence, you’re invisible. In retail, invisible means failing.
Maria Shriver
That’s why we invested early and intentionally in in-store execution at MOSH. Having feet on the ground means someone is physically verifying that product is on shelf, priced correctly, and critically, replenished quickly enough when velocity picks up. Out-of-stocks are a silent killer for emerging brands. A customer who comes back for a second purchase and finds an empty shelf doesn’t file a complaint; they just move on to the bar next to where yours used to be.
But beyond the operational fundamentals, there’s something equally powerful about the human element that great merchandising brings. Through our partnership with Survey, we’re not just getting shelf compliance, we’re getting store-level education and sampling. When a store associate tries our bars and understands what MOSH is about – brain health, real ingredients, a mission behind the brand – they become advocates. That word of mouth at the store level, from a trusted employee to a curious shopper, is something no amount of media spend can replicate.
And when it comes to measurable impact:
Absolutely! I’d go so far as to say that without the visibility Survey provides, we’d be flying blind.
The tangible impact shows up in a few specific ways. First, we’ve caught incorrect pricing that we would have known about until weeks later with the next syndicated data release. Whether it’s a promotional price that didn’t flow through correctly or a shelf tag that never got updated, those errors directly suppress sales – and they erode the trust of a shopper who looks up the price on their app and sees something different at the shelf. Being able to identify and flag those issues quickly, with photographic proof, is invaluable.
Second, we’ve identified gaps in promotional execution. A deal we negotiated and paid for at the buyer level doesn’t always translate to what actually happens in-store. Survey’s visits show us what actually makes it to the store shelf. When we bring that data and those photos to a buyer conversation, it changes the dynamic entirely. We’re not complaining; we’re problem-solving with evidence.
And third, the replenishment picture has been a game-changer. As MOSH’s velocity has grown – +350% MoM – the risk of out-of-stocks has grown with it. Survey helps us stay ahead of that, flagging stores where inventory is running low before it becomes a lost sale. That’s the kind of proactive execution that protects the brand equity we’re working so hard to build.
This Women’s History Month, we’re proud to spotlight a founder who is not only building a high-growth CPG brand, but also leading a movement around brain health, research funding, and proactive wellness.
At Survey, we’re honored to support brands like MOSH by ensuring their mission shows up where it matters most — at shelf, in-store, and in the hands of consumers.
Flexible. Fast. Scalable.
That’s how we help brands like MOSH protect velocity, maximize visibility, and turn purpose into performance at retail.
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