Magnotto brothers reflect on Nic Nac Naturals
When brothers Nicco and Marco Magnotto began experimenting with nicotine, the two self-described “food and ingredient nerds” were not seasoned entrepreneurs, much less experts on the tobacco industry.
Three-and-a-half years after their nicotine lozenge company Nic Nac Naturals LLC first hit shelves in 20 Spokane stores, the product is now sold in 2,500 convenience stores across the country and in international markets in the United Kingdom, Guatemala, and Canada. Their products are expected to enter the Swedish and Spanish markets soon.
A Fast-Growing Market With a Simple Pitch
“The market is growing really fast,” says Nicco, 34. “But also, we’ve done everything we can to get out there.”
Nicco estimates the company averaged 8% month-over-month revenue growth in fiscal year 2024, and over 100% growth in 2025. Current projections for 2026 revenue are shifting as new regulations in California have temporarily closed off that market for Nic Nac. Despite this, the brothers say the company continues to grow.
Nic Nac Naturals operates out of a 10,000-square-foot, two-story space at 3703 E. Central, in Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood. It employs about 40 staff, 35 of whom work full-time, he says. Earlier this year, Nic Nac expanded with a second facility down the road from its headquarters, which is being used for storage and to manufacture acrylic point-of-purchase displays for retailers.
From Food Nerds to Nicotine Formulators
Nicotine is an addictive chemical stimulant commonly found in tobacco products and has been used in dissolvable lozenges in the U.S. since the 1980s and marketed as a smoking-cessation aid.
Related: Mead Works Begins Multifamily Construction Phase
Nic Nac Naturals is not a smoking-cessation aid.
It positions itself as a product for adults who already want to consume nicotine.
“Our goal was just to make the most seamless product that mitigates as much (harm) as we can and give people the ability to unapologetically enjoy nicotine,” Nicco says. “We’re being honest about it. We enjoy nicotine, we want to give people a seamless way to enjoy nicotine.”
Nicco says the company uses synthetic nicotine to create its products.
This allows them to avoid contaminants associated with tobacco-derived nicotine, including heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants and carcinogens.
The lozenges use ingredients the duo are comfortable with.
Those include xylitol, gum arabic, food-grade essential oils, magnesium stearate, and stearic acid.
Related: Long-term care sector faces growing strain
The pair entered the market at a time when preferences were shifting toward alternatives that don’t involve smoking or vaping.
Neither brother was a regular nicotine user before starting Nic Nac, according to Nicco. Their interest in the stimulant grew out of a longtime familiarity in the food and ingredient industry.
“We’re just kind of food and ingredient nerds,” Marco says.
A Logo With a Bite
Marco, 31, designed the company’s logo, which features an ankle with a snake wrapped around it that’s being crushed beneath a bare foot. The image is a reference to the Nic Nac tagline: “Crush your vice.”
“We wanted something super weird and something that kind of stood out on the shelves,” Marco says. “Something that catches your eye and makes you remember it off the wall.”
At the same time, the pair wanted something deliberately mature and cryptic, as the product is intended for adults 21 years and older, Nicco says.
Nic Nac Naturals lozenges are small, brick-shaped doses reminiscent of a breath mint. The lozenge is placed on the inside of the lip where it is designed to dissolve slowly; a discreet alternative to vaping or smoking, Nicco explains. The company currently carries classic citrus and mint flavors including blood orange, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, spearmint, peppermint, and menthol.
Related: Remcon Appoints New Chief Executive Officer
Regulatory Headwinds and What Comes Next
Their father worked in the natural food ingredient industry, supplying sweeteners, supplements, and other ingredients. Nicco previously worked in business development for their father, where part of his work involved keeping up with research and developments surrounding different ingredients. Nicotine kept popping up, Marco says.
At the time, Nicco had noticed nicotine gaining attention among the biohacking community, where some users were experimenting with the stimulant as a nootropic, which are substances designed to enhance cognition and memory. At one point, some in the community were trying nicotine-infused toothpicks.
The use of toothpicks helped the pair identify what they believed was a gap in the industry, Marco says. “I think that’s where we first started,” says Nicco. “We were like, ‘Oh, this is interesting. Why is this the only option? We could probably make something better than a toothpick.'”
As Nic Nac has grown, so have the industry’s regulations. Synthetic nicotine products fall under the authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 2022, when federal law was amended to regulate tobacco products containing nicotine from any source, says Nicco. Manufacturers of synthetic nicotine products are required to go through the agency’s premarket tobacco product application process to receive authorization to market their products. Keeping up with a shifting patchwork of regulations has become part of doing business, Nicco says.
The California market closure is a reminder that state-level rules can shift quickly, and the company’s ability to adapt to those changes will likely determine how much of its projected 2026 growth materializes. The pair have already shown they can pivot, though, having built a national footprint from a handful of Spokane store shelves in just a few years.
Looking ahead, Nic Nac plans to introduce additional flavors as well as new products, although the two aren’t ready to divulge what’s in the pipeline. “They’re very secret,” Nicco says. “But we have some exciting new products coming.”
