TRWD Enters The Original Experiential Hospitality Market
With several operating venues, a proven “Mini-Vegas” concept, and new locations in active development, Peppermint Hippo brands are defining what premium adult nightlife looks like at national scale
LOS ANGELES, March 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tradewinds Universal (OTCID: TRWD) today announced its entry into the fast growing trend of experiential hospitality with its agreement with Peppermint Hippo and affiliated brands such as Las Toxícas, operators of several venues and growing.
The Era of Experiential Hospitality Is Here — TRWD is making its move.
TRWD believes a fundamental shift is underway in how Americans allocate discretionary spending. Across every measurable demographic — and most acutely among millennials and Gen Z consumers — spending on in-person experience has decisively outpaced spending on material goods. The hospitality industry has taken notice. The term “experiential hospitality” now anchors conversations at every major industry conference and in every institutional capital allocation discussion targeting the leisure and entertainment sector. The company believes with this partnership TRWD is able to capitalize on the latest trends in the hospitality market.
The definition is straightforward: venues and businesses whose core product is the in-person experience itself — the environment, the energy, the entertainment, the feeling of being somewhere that cannot be replicated at home or on a screen. Premium dining, boutique entertainment destinations, live event venues, and adult nightlife all occupy this category.
TRWD and its flagship brand partners, Peppermint Hippo and Las Toxícas, are not adjacent to this trend. They are the trend — purpose-built experiential hospitality venues operating at the top of their category.
Watch: TRWD: Redefining Entertainment - https://youtu.be/6EEn06S0tpc
Peppermint Hippo: The Brand That Redefined What Adult Nightlife Looks Like
Founded in 2018 by Alan Chang, Peppermint Hippo was built on a single, powerful premise: that adult nightlife venues did not have to be dark, outdated, or uninviting. Chang’s model was to identify underperforming clubs, acquire them at attractive valuations, and execute full-scale transformations — converting them into high-energy, luxury-appointed destinations delivering what the brand calls a “Mini-Vegas” experience regardless of geography.
The results speak for themselves. In less than seven years, Peppermint Hippo has grown from a single location in Toledo, Ohio, into one of the fastest-rising nightlife brands in the United States, with venues spanning Las Vegas, Reno, Toledo, Fort Wayne, Neenah, Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Pineville — a national footprint built through disciplined acquisition and consistent brand execution.
The pinnacle of that footprint is the Las Vegas flagship: a 27,000 square-foot venue on the Las Vegas Strip and the only gentlemen’s club of its kind in one of the highest-traffic entertainment corridors in the world. The Las Vegas location has earned a 4.7-star Google rating — the highest of any club in the city — and has taken back-to-back Best of Las Vegas Gold Awards in 2024 and 2025.
“Peppermint Hippo is proof that when you execute a premium experience consistently, the market responds. Alan Chang built something real — a recognized brand with a proven turnaround model, loyal customers, and locations that outperform their markets. That is exactly the kind of asset TRWD was designed to bring into the public markets.”
— Andrew Read, Tradewinds Universal
Las Toxícas: A Distinct Brand, A Larger Market
Alongside Peppermint Hippo, the TRWD portfolio includes Las Toxícas — a Latin-themed adult entertainment brand that extends the Company’s reach into one of the fastest-growing consumer demographics in the United States. Las Toxícas operates as a distinct brand identity within the same operational infrastructure, targeting a culturally specific customer experience that Peppermint Hippo does not serve.
Together, Peppermint Hippo and Las Toxícas form the multi-brand foundation of what TRWD is building: an adult hospitality platform that, integrated under Tradewinds Universal’s public company structure, represents a revenue-generating base unlike anything else currently accessible to public market investors in this category.
The Revenue Opportunity Is Concrete
Individual adult hospitality venues in the Peppermint Hippo mold generate between $2 million and $20 million in annual revenue. TRWD’s platform targets $10 million in operating revenue as an initial consolidation milestone, scaling toward $20 million and beyond as additional acquisitions are completed. With a $10 million facility in place through RH2 Equity Partners, the capital infrastructure behind TRWD’s acquisition strategy is secured.
The Company’s target universe is substantial: approximately 3,000 independently operated adult nightlife venues across the United States collectively generate an estimated $8 to $10 billion in annual revenue. The overwhelming majority are privately owned by operators with no institutional buyer, no succession infrastructure, and no access to the capital markets tools that other hospitality sectors have taken for granted for decades. Peppermint Hippo’s proven acquisition and transformation model — taking underperforming venues and converting them into premium experiences — makes it the ideal operational engine for the TRWD consolidation vehicle.
New Locations Are in Active Development
The Peppermint Hippo and Las Toxícas brands are expanding. New locations are actively in development as both brands continue their national growth — each new venue a standalone revenue-generating asset and a future acquisition target within TRWD’s roll-up pipeline. The brands’ growth roadmap feeds TRWD’s consolidation strategy directly: Peppermint Hippo opens markets, proves them, and creates the institutional acquisition opportunity that Tradewinds Universal captures.
This creates a self-reinforcing growth engine. As the brands expand, the TRWD acquisition pipeline grows. As the pipeline grows, TRWD’s revenue base grows. As the revenue base grows, the path to a senior national exchange listing accelerates.
“The goal is 100-plus locations. When people talk about experiential hospitality, they are describing exactly what we do. Gentlemen's clubs are one of the last major consumer-facing industries without a true mainstream brand. We are building that brand — and TRWD is the vehicle that brings it to Wall Street.”
— Alan Chang, Founder, Peppermint Hippo
Tradewinds Universal will continue to provide updates as material milestones are reached.
About Tradewinds Universal
Tradewinds Universal (OTCID: TRWD) is a fully reporting, publicly traded holding company focused on acquiring and scaling businesses with long-term value and growth potential. From its beginnings in lifestyle and health to its expansion into hospitality and entertainment, including strategic arrangements with operating partners, TRWD is building a diversified portfolio designed to withstand economic cycles while creating sustainable shareholder value.
About Peppermint Hippo
Founded in 2018 by Alan Chang, Peppermint Hippo has grown from a single club in Toledo, Ohio, into one of the fastest-rising names in nightlife entertainment. The opening of its flagship Las Vegas location in 2021 — the only club of its kind on the Strip — cemented its reputation as an industry leader.
Today, Peppermint Hippo and its affiliated entities such as Las Toxícas operate over 12 clubs nationwide, ten proudly carrying the Peppermint Hippo name. Each location offers a “Mini-Vegas” experience through upscale design, professional entertainment, and elevated hospitality. Visit www.thepepperminthippo.com for more information.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding TRWD’s operational plans, growth prospects, potential acquisitions, and anticipated regulatory developments. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.
Investor Relations Contact
John Stock
Tradewinds Universal
(619) 483-1008
IR@TradewindsUniversal.com
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