4th & 1 Backs Liquid Death, Surfside Stays Hot 🔥

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CPG WIRE
September 16, 2025

Welcome back to This Week in CPG, folks. Here’s what we’re covering this morning:

  • Calbee buys tofu maker 🥗

  • Colin Walsh takes over at Glossier đź’„

  • Lemme bets on immunity 🍋

  • KDP partners with Cove Soda đź‘€

  • Fever-Tree sales flat for H1 đź“Š

Deals đź’°

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Japanese snack giant Calbee has acquired a majority stake in Hodo, an Oakland-based manufacturer of flavorful tofu products. Hodo was founded in 2004 by Vietnamese refugee Minh Tsai. Sagamiya, a leading manufacturer of tofu in Japan, is also taking a stake in Hodo. Food Business News

  • Canadian makeup brand Nudestix has been acquired by an undisclosed buyer. The Toronto-based beauty brand was founded in 2014 by mother-daughter duo Taylor & Jenny Frankel. Annual revenue is reportedly in the $30M range. Business of Fashion

Fundraising

  • 4th & 1 Ventures, a growth-stage angel syndicate, just made a 7-figure investment in Liquid Death. The group connects athletes and entrepreneurs with investment opportunities in the consumer space. 4th & 1 Ventures is also an investor in Drumroll, Slate Milk, Nowadays, and Jambys. LinkedIn

  • Perfat Technologies, a Finnish producer of healthier fat alternatives, secured €2.5M in Series A funding. Newtree Impact and Beyond Impact co-led the round. The Helsinki-based startup previously raised pre-seed funding from Big Idea Ventures. Vegconomist

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Carisa Janes, the founder of Hourglass, is relaunching Nature of Things after acquiring the brand from its founder, JP Collett. Collett remains a minority shareholder in the biz and a core part of the team. Nature of Things is relaunching with 14 SKUs across bath, body, and hair care. Carisa Janes sold Hourglass to Unilever in 2017. WWD

  • Colin Walsh is taking over as the CEO of Glossier on October 6th. Previously Walsh served as the CEO of haircare brand OUAI and co-founded YayDay, a premium digestive wellness brand. Retail Dive

  • Lemme is launching daily immunity gummies later today. The product is formulated with active ingredients like Vitamin C, Zinc, and Astragalus Root. The new SKU is expected to hit shelves at Target in three weeks. Trend Hunter

  • Kidhy is a new player in the children’s hydration category. The Australian company was founded by two moms and offers drink mixes that contain electrolytes, prebiotics, and probiotics. The packaging is very clean. Kidhy

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) announced a new partnership to distribute Cove Soda throughout Canada. KDP Canada said it will activate its national commercial engine to take Cove Soda’s distribution to new heights. Given the success of Cove Soda in North America and its relative affordability compared to OLIPOP, it wouldn’t be a surprise if KDP eventually acquired the brand. Just Drinks

  • Allergy-friendly snack brand Partake just unveiled a sleek new look. Their previous branding was solid but the latest iteration is bolder, brighter, and features superior product photography. LinkedIn

  • Annie Chun’s quietly refreshed their branding too. The new look ought to help the brand connect with a younger demographic. LinkedIn

  • Brother’s Bond Bourbon, the fast-growing whiskey brand co-founded by Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, just dropped their newest product: Regenerative Grain New Batch Bourbon. The product is crafted with regenerative grains and will retail for $59.99. The refreshed label looks pretty killer too. PR Newswire

  • BioAthletic debuted with a line of kombucha-powered hydration drink mixes. The products are formulated with probiotics, performance electrolytes, and key micronutrients. Three flavors are available: Apple Ginger, Cherry Lime, and Pineapple Lychee. BioAthletic is from the folks behind Marin Kombucha in the Bay Area. BevNET

  • BARIS, a purveyor of enrobed frozen raspberries, just dropped two new flavors: Pistachio & White Chocolate and Hazelnut & Milk Chocolate. Haven’t tried BARIS yet but the product and branding both look terrific. LinkedIn

  • Danish food brand Wasted Pasta officially launched with one SKU. The company combats food waste by taking surplus bread and turning it into shelf-stable pasta. The branding is fun and a little different. LinkedIn

  • Low carb pasta brand It’s Skinny expanded into a new category with four rice blends. The rice SKUs contain 50% less carbs and calories than traditional rice products. Instagram

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Data 🖥️

  • Global mixers brand Fever-Tree reported flat sales for the first half of 2025. Revenue hit ÂŁ171M during H1 2025 compared to ÂŁ170.6M for H1 2024. One bright spot for Fever-Tree was the U.S. market where sales rose by 4%. Fever-Tree announced a U.S. distribution partnership with Molson Coors earlier this year. The Spirits Business

  • The impressive growth story continues for Surfside, the Philadelphia-based canned cocktail brand. Surfside’s YTD sales are up 164% to over $160M thru August 16th. The company expects to move a total of 12 million cases in 2025, an impressive feat for the three-year-old brand. Instagram

  • Deep Indian Kitchen is now the #1 Indian frozen food brand nationally. The brand was tied for fourth place six years ago. Impressive. LinkedIn

Distribution News đźšš