Anheuser Buys BeatBox, Cadence Unveils New Look šŸ”„

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CPG WIRE
December 06, 2025

Welcome back to This Week in CPG, folks. Hereā€™s what weā€™re covering this morning:

  • Lā€™Oreal explores Armani deal šŸ’„

  • REI invests in Dune Suncare ā›±ļø

  • Snif launches Notewrks šŸ”„

  • AMASS releases HpO šŸ’Ŗ

  • Sauz lands at Albertsons šŸ

Deals šŸ’°

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Anheuser-Busch is acquiring a majority stake in BeatBox Beverages for $490M. Anheuser-Busch will own 85% of BeatBox Beverages with a pathway to 100% ownership in five years. The acquisition expands their fast-growing Beyond Beer portfolio which is home to Cutwater Spirits, NƜTRL Vodka Seltzer, and Phorm Energy. According to Circana, BeatBox did over $340M in retail sales during the 52-week period ending on November 23rd, 2025. Reuters

  • Lā€™Oreal is reportedly considering an acquisition of Armaniā€™s beauty division. Interestingly, Lā€™Oreal already holds a license to develop and market Armani makeup, skincare, and fragrance products until 2050. Converting the long-term license into full ownership would remove uncertainty and solidify a sizable revenue stream (around ā‚¬1.5B in 2023 per HSBC analysts). The Industry

  • Stockeld Dreamery, a Swedish producer of plant-based dairy products, has sold its assets to Bettani Farms after shutting down in late October. Bettani Farms is a Berkeley-based manufacturer of dairy free mozzarella and feta. Vegconomist

Fundraising

  • REI just made an investment in Dune Suncare via its corporate venture arm, Path Ahead Ventures. Dune Suncare was co-founded in 2020 by Mei Kwok and CEO Emily Doyle. The brand now retails at Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, Bluemercury, and Anthropologie. Incumbent suncare brands are under pressure from upstarts like Dune, Bask, Ultra Violette, Vacation, and others. Beauty Independent

A Message From Matriarch šŸ“ˆ

Matriarch is a SEC-Registered Investment Advisor and Fiduciary headquartered in Miami, specializing in helping CPG founders manage corporate cash with institutional discipline.

We build A+ credit, <2-year duration portfolios targeting 6% yield, providing safety, liquidity, and meaningful income.

Businesses can also borrow against their portfolio with:

  • Up to 60% LTV (target ~25% for conservative buffers)

  • Competitive margin rates starting at 5%

  • Fast liquidity at lower rates than most lenders with no set term

We work closely with founders and executives, often before a liquidity event, to optimize balance sheet efficiency, manage corporate cash, and implement tax forward planning.

Weā€™re proud to have Mike Repole, Co-Founder of vitaminwater and BODYARMOR, as both a family member and advisor. His involvement has shaped a uniquely CPG focused advisory practice rooted in deep industry experience.

Check out our Cash Management one pager here and our website here.

Whatā€™s New šŸ¤©

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Fast-growing fragrance brand Snif officially launched its cologne sub-brand, Notewrks. The goal with Notewrks is to make cologne fun and modern. The new sub-brand launched with three scents: Clean Getaway, Sunny is a Feeling, and Room for Dessert šŸ‘‡ Instagram

  • Skincare brand Dr. Idriss has appointed Tamera Ferro as its Chief Marketing & Growth Officer. Ferro served as CMO at Sol de Janeiro for two years and prior to that was VP of Global Marketing & eCommerce at Tata Harper. The Industry

  • Lemme is expanding its metabolic health range with a new product: Lemme Burn Body Composition Gummies. The new SKU will launch online on December 9th and at Target on December 28th. PR Newswire

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Cadence unveiled a fantastic brand refresh ahead of its launch at Target in February. The new branding maintains their clean, premium positioning while also making Cadence more retail ready. Hats off to Cadence for continuously iterating on product, branding, and marketing. More info at the link. Instagram

  • Clean cereal brand Lovebird launched two protein SKUs. Each serving delivers 11g of grass-fed whey protein and the product is only sweetened with organic coconut sugar. Lovebird Foods

  • Cotto, a recently launched cottage cheese-based dip brand, just dropped version 2.0 of its packaging. The updated version is bolder, cleaner, more legible, and contains a large protein callout. Big improvement. Instagram 

  • Holiday Vodka, a new premium spirit crafted in Italy, officially launched on December 3rd with an aprĆØs-skiā€“themed party at Saint Theoā€™s in the West Village. Holiday Vodka is now available at more than 60 venues across NYC. The bottle, label, and cap work together nicely šŸ‘‡ Holiday Vodka

  • AMASS Brands Group launched a new beverage brand called HpO. Itā€™s a sparkling protein water that contains 5g of protein, 0g of sugar, and only 28 calories. Two flavors, Lemon and Blood Orange, are currently available. LinkedIn 

  • SNAX-Sational Brands expanded its licensed snack portfolio with Chiquita Plantain Chips. Five flavors will be available when the brand hits retail in early 2026. SNAX-Sational is best known for creating co-branded popcorn products with Oreo, Snickers, Twix, Butterfinger, etc. Itā€™s a clever model. Business Wire

Data šŸ–„ļø

  • A number of consumer brands like Ancient + Brave, Zoe, Fussy, Freja Foods, Exhale Coffee, IMPOSSIBREW, Sweet Bee Organics, and others made the 2025 UK Fast Growth Index. UK Fast Growth Index

Distribution News šŸšš

  • Sauz is now available nationwide at Albertsons.

  • Cult Corn launched at Motherā€™s Market & Happier Grocery.

  • Joyburst is launching its hydration & protein soda lines at CVS.

  • TƖST partnered with Southern Glazerā€™s and Union Beer.