Bawi Raises $3.5M, A24 Launches Movie Chocolate🍫

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

• MSCP buys FoodScience 🐶

• Oura valuation hits $5B 📈

• Flour + Water unveils refresh 🍝

• Alani Nu continues to crush ⚡️

• Good Eat’n heads to H-E-B 😋

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP) has acquired FoodScience, a vertically integrated purveyor of nutritional supplements for humans and pets. Based in Vermont, FoodScience offers a broad portfolio of nutritional supplements through brands like VetriScience, DaVinci, and Pet Naturals. MSCP’s acquisition of FoodScience represents its third investment in the pet and animal health sector. Business Wire

• Maguey Imports, the U.S. distribution arm of Maguey Spirits, has acquired Bozal Mezcal and Pasote Tequila for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2013, the goal of Maguey Spirits is to elevate and preserve Mexico’s agave spirits heritage. The Spirits Business

• Arnott’s Group, the Australian snack giant, has acquired three brands from Profile Foods, a New Zealand-based food company. Brands included in the transaction are Mother Earth, Flemings, and Value Pack. Kiwi brands have proven popular in international markets, and Arnott’s is eager to scale these brands. Just Food

Fundraising

• Austin-based Bawi Agua Fresca secured $3.5M in a seed round led by Brand Foundry Ventures. Other investors include Rocana Ventures, Amity Ventures, and TikTok exec Blake Chandlee. Victor Guardiola and Jordan Hicks launched Bawi in early 2022. Their products are fantastic. BevNET

• Oishii, a vertical grower of berries and tomatoes, raised a whopping $150M in Series B funding. Investors include Resilience Reserve, Miyako Capital, NTT, Bloom8, and a variety of others. Fortune

• KoRo, a German purveyor of healthy snacks and bulk foods, secured €35M in Series C funding. The round was led by Coefficient Capital, with additional participation from Five Seasons Ventures, HV Capital, Partech, and others. The omnichannel food brand was founded in Berlin in 2014. The company previously raised €70M in Series B funding. Vegconomist

• Plantible Foods, a food tech startup that extracts plant-based protein from duckweed at scale, raised $30M in Series B funding. The round was co-led by Siddhi Capital and Piva Capital. Other investors include Betagro, Chipotle, and Astanor Ventures. The funding will largely be used to scale operations at its 100-acre production site in West Texas. PR Newswire

• Finnish smart ring maker Oura grabbed $75M in Series D funding and its valuation skyrocketed past $5B. The investment came from Dexcom, a San Diego-based producer of glucose biosensors. Oura was founded in 2015 and sales are expected to hit $500M this year. Fierce Healthcare

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Brunello Cucinelli expanded its fragrance collection with six new products. Brunello dipped into beauty last year by launching its debut fragrance collection, and now they’re doubling down. WWD

• Sporty & Rich unveiled its latest footwear collab with adidas and it’s an absolute beauty. Hypebae

• Paris Hilton is launching a new beauty & wellness brand called 11:11 Beauty next year. NewBeauty

• GOLF le FLEUR*, the apparel and lifestyle brand co-founded by Tyler, the Creator, is launching in the UK early next month. Dazed

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

•  A24, the entertainment company behind Ex Machina, Moonlight, and Uncut Gems, just launched Movie Chocolate. The packaging is exquisite (hats off to Day Job) and the flavors — Fizzy Fountain Soda, Popcorn & Candy, and Salty Peanut Crunch — all sound great 👇 IndieWire

• Little Spoon joined forces with Brooklyn Delhi to release a fun new product — The Sunny Butter Chicken Plate. Over the summer, Little Spoon released a killer collab with Graza. Love the idea of introducing global flavors to kids at an early age. NOSH

• Flour + Water unveiled a sleek refresh of their organic dried pasta line. Their previous packaging was solid but the latest iteration is bolder and brighter. If you’re ever in San Francisco, definitely check out their incredible restaurants. Instagram

• KRAFT Mac & Cheese just dropped a surprisingly innovative flavor with Everything Bagel. The product will be available in very limited quantities via Walmart. Business Wire

• Kelly Reilly, best known as one of the stars of Yellowstone, has joined the leadership team of Ammunition Whiskey in order to grow brand awareness. The Spirits Business

• Athletic Brewing collaborated with Netflix on a new brew — Marine Odyssey IPA. The new product is available in limited quantities online and in select stores. Instagram

• ELEAT, a UK-based purveyor of high-protein cereal, just launched a functional granola line. Each serving contains 15g of protein, 10g of fiber, and only 3g of sugar. Stack3d

• Singapore’s MAD Foods is releasing a range of RTD coffees featuring lactoferrin, a multifunctional protein that supports gut health and immune function. With the global supply of lactoferrin increasing due to precision fermentation (and thanks to innovation from startups like TurtleTree and Helaina), lactoferrin is poised to become the next “it” functional ingredient. PR Newswire

Data 🖥️

• Alani Nu continues to outpace its fast-growing peers in the energy drink category. For the four weeks ending on November 2nd, Alani Nu’s volume was up 39.7%. Celsius volume increased by 9% while C4 Energy was up 13.1% over the same period. Twitter

Distribution News 🚚

• Once Upon a Coconut launched at select Whole Foods Market stores.

• Mezcla is now available at Albertsons.

• Nightingale Ice Cream launched at Harris Teeter.

• Good Eat’n launched at 250 H-E-B stores across Texas.