Prickly Pear Consulting
ActiveSmall business consulting for entrepreneurs who are figuring it out. Web design, branding, digital marketing, and content — at prices that actually make sense.
Visit pricklypearconsulting.com →
Chicago, IL — Brand Incubator
Built to last.
Built to last.
Brewed with purpose.
A holding company for brands that earn their place. From the market stall to the medicine cabinet — we build concepts that are accessible, community-rooted, and made to endure.
View the portfolio →
Who we are
Two Chicagoans building brands that matter.
Moody Brands started as a shared conviction: that small, focused businesses — the kind that actually know their customers — deserve the same infrastructure and strategic support as the big ones.
We’re not a venture fund. We don’t take equity from strangers or chase exits. We build things ourselves, with our own hands, and we hold them long enough to see them matter in the communities they serve.
Everything we launch goes through the same filter: does it solve a real problem, can we build it right, and will we still be proud of it in five years?
John Nelson
Co-Founder
Builder, operator, and the person who figured out how to run a tea company and a tech stack at the same time. John leads product, technology, and brand development across the portfolio.
Nora Eagan
Co-Founder
Brand, marketing, and the creative voice behind how Moody Brands shows up in the world. Nora leads brand strategy, partnerships, and the story we tell in every market we enter.
How we build
Six principles, every brand.
Every concept in the Moody Brands portfolio is held to the same standard. This isn’t a checklist — it’s the filter that keeps us from building things we’d be embarrassed by five years from now.
Sustainable
Built for the long run. We don’t launch things we aren’t willing to maintain, scale, and stand behind.
Innovative
We look for problems that aren’t being solved and build solutions that don’t already exist.
Accessible
Price, language, and design are levers for inclusion. We use them that way.
Quality
Done right, or not done. We don’t ship things we wouldn’t use ourselves.
Reliable
Our brands show up — at the market, on the shelf, in the app — consistently and without drama.
Safe
In a food product, this is literal. In software, it’s just as serious. We don’t cut corners on either.
Portfolio
The brands we’ve built.
Each brand operates on its own terms, serves its own community, and earns its place independently. Moody Brands provides the infrastructure — legal, technical, and strategic — that lets each one move faster.
Dosewell
ActiveMedication care for families who are doing their best. AI-powered 7-day schedules, prescription scanning, and a caregiver dashboard — free and designed to work offline.
Visit dosewell.care →StallPay
In DevelopmentFair payment infrastructure for market vendors, pop-up sellers, and event merchants. Built from the experience of running 14+ markets — because most payment tools aren’t designed for stalls.
stallpay.org →CannaTeas
Coming SoonTHC-infused organic loose-leaf tea for Illinois adults. Water-soluble isolate, precision dosing, and the same quality standard as every other product in our portfolio.
cannateas.co →Rostr’d
In DevelopmentScheduling, timeclock, and staff management built specifically for market vendors, pop-up shops, and seasonal businesses. No enterprise bloat — just what a stall operator actually needs.
rostrd.co →BatchHaus
In DevelopmentSmall-batch co-packing for artisan food brands. Bring us your recipe — we handle blending, packaging, and labeling so you can focus on selling. Built out of a licensed Chicago kitchen.
batchhaus.co →
Work with us
Have an idea that earns its place?
We’re not always looking, but when we are, we move fast. If you’re building something in food, health, community infrastructure, or small business tools — and you think there’s a Moody Brands angle — we want to hear it.
We don’t do passive investment. If we partner with you, we’re working alongside you.
What we look for
A real problem, not a featureSomething people are already spending money or time on — not a solution looking for a problem.
Community-rootedServes a specific, underserved group of people — not everyone everywhere.
Buildable without millionsCan get to real traction with smart execution, not just capital.
Operator, not just ideatorYou’re already doing the thing, or you’ve lived the problem firsthand.
Chicago preferredWe work best with people we can actually meet at a market.
Get in touch
Let’s talk.
Whether you’re a potential partner, a journalist, or just curious about what we’re building — we’re reachable.
Email
Based in
Chicago, IL
Response time
We read everything. Usually within a few days.
“We don’t build brands for the sake of it. Everything we make has to earn its place.”
— John & Nora, Co-Founders
Moody Brands is a Chicago-based holding company for independent brands built around community, access, and quality. We’re not a venture portfolio — we’re operators who know what it takes to show up, season after season.
Get in touch →