Bansk Group Bets on Wellness, Nopalera Raises $4M 🌵

GM and Happy Thursday, folks. Here’s what we’re covering this morning:

• Stellar Snacks lands investment 🥨

• Era VC backs bodycare brand 🌱

• Alix Earle unveils skincare brand 🧪

• PRIME launches protein + creatine 💪

• Happy Dad goes nationwide at Target 🎯

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Consumer PE firm Bansk Group is acquiring a majority stake in So Good So You, a Minnesota-based functional wellness shot brand. Founded in 2014 by Eric Hall and Rita Katona, So Good So You has grown more than 5x over the past four years and pulled in more than $100M in 2025. In addition to its cold-pressed wellness shots, So Good So You recently launched a clean energy drink line at Target. Prelude Growth Partners backed the brand in 2020 and will exit its position in the company. PR Newswire

• Tennessee Distilling Group (TDG) has acquired Waterford Distillery after the Irish whisky producer entered receivership in 2024. TDG will own the distillery and its intellectual property while Waterford’s maturing inventory will be sold separately. The Spirits Business

Fundraising

• Stellar Snacks, a Nevada-based manufacturer of better-for-you pretzels, secured a minority growth investment from Main Post Partners. Founded by mother-daughter duo Elisabeth & Gina Galvin, Stellar Snacks operates two manufacturing facilities and employs over 300 people. Their products retail at Costco, Target, Kroger, and Albertsons. PR Newswire

• Era VC announced an investment in nutritional bodycare brand Iota. Founded by Monique Meneses in 2023 and based in New York, Iota’s bodycare range is formulated with superfood nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. The brand will debut at 860 Ulta Beauty doors on March 30th. LinkedIn

• Nopalera closed a $4M Series A round led by Morgan Stanley’s Next Level Fund. Siddhi Capital, L'ATTITUDE Ventures, Sixty8 Capital, and several others also participated in the round. Sandra Velasquez launched the modern Mexican beauty and lifestyle brand in 2020. Nopalera is based in San Antonio and retails at Ulta Beauty, Credo Beauty, Mecca, and Amazon. LinkedIn

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• After selling Tarte Cosmetics to Kose Corp in 2014, Maureen Kelly is back in the founder’s chair with a wellness brand called FINNSUL. Kelly co-founded the brand with her two sons, Finn & Sully McDonough. FINNSUL offers drink mixes that deliver nootropics for focus and electrolytes for hydration. Three flavors are available and they offer caffeinated and non-caffeinated versions. FINNSUL

• Alix Earle is launching her skincare brand, Reale Actives, on March 31st. The skincare line is designed for acne prone skin and will launch with four products: Get Bare, Pore Power, Go Deep, and Dew More. Reale Actives is backed by Imaginary Ventures which helped create BERO and POV Beauty, two fast-growing celebrity-led consumer brands. WWD

• Anna Teal, the CEO of Aussie skincare brand Grown Alchemist for the past three years, is stepping down to focus on AFIMA, a modern wellness brand that will launch later this year. The Industry

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• After selling Bai to Keurig Dr Pepper for $1.7B in 2016, Ben Weiss is back in the beverage space with Crooked Pop, a “clean” hard soda brand. Crooked Pop is launching with three flavors and each can contains 80 calories, less than 1g of carbs, and no artificial colors or sweeteners. Crooked Pop is powered by Organic Super Dry Alcohol (OSA), a neutral alcohol base that’s made from ancient grains. The branding is great. PR Newswire

• Perfect Snacks, a leader in the refrigerated nutrition bar category, launched a new Protein + Prebiotics line. Each bar contains 20g of protein, 6g of fiber, and no artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. Two flavors are available via online channels like Amazon and TikTok Shop. The line will launch at Whole Foods Market later this year. Twitter

• PRIME expanded its RTD protein shake range with a new Protein + Creatine variety. Each shake delivers 32g of protein, 3g of creatine monohydrate, and only 3g of sugar. Three flavors are available: Cookies & Cream, Chocolate, and Vanilla. Instagram

• UK-based PerfectTed expanded its RTD matcha range with two new flavors: Blueberry and Original. The new flavors are available at Whole Foods Market in the UK. The Grocer

• BERO appointed Casamigos and LALO veteran Lauren Stubblefield as VP of National Accounts and Strategic Markets, On-Premise. Stubblefield’s mandate is to drive on-prem growth and deepen the brand’s presence among national restaurant groups, bar chains, and hospitality operators. BERO has prioritized the on-premise channel from the very beginning. No Link ☹️ 

• Floura, the high-fiber nutrition bar brand created by Jeni Britton, unveiled its newest flavor — Brownie Batter. Each bar contains a whopping 15g of fiber. Floura 

• Refresh Gum will unveil a bold brand refresh in Q2. The plant-based gum brand will also launch six new products across two categories. LinkedIn

• Chobani is investing $567M into West Michigan to expand its La Colombe plant. The move will add over 200,000 square feet of production space and around 340 new jobs. PR Newswire

Data 🖥️

• Fever-Tree reported preliminary FY 2025 results and revenue increased 4% YoY. UK revenue dipped 2% while the U.S. and Europe were up 3% and 2%, respectively. Rest of world revenue was up 17% in the period. Adjusted EBITDA contracted by 16% but Fever-Tree remains bullish on its prospects, largely due to its sales & distribution partnership with Molson Coors in the U.S. Reuters

• Here’s a list of challenger brands across the UK that hit £1M in retail sales value for the first time. Several familiar faces like Freja Foods, Mother Root, Tiba Tempeh, and Milliways made NIQ’s Million Club. LinkedIn

Distribution News 🚚

• Happy Dad is now available nationwide at Target.

• Real Coco launched nationwide at Aldi.

• Drizzle Honey launched storewide at Sprouts Farmers Market.