Blue Stripes Raises $20M, Tom Holland Launches BERO 🍻

Author

CPG WIRE
October 17, 2024

GM and Happy Thursday, folks. We have a lot of fun stuff to cover this morning so let’s get into it:

  • Amass buys Calirosa Tequila 👀

  • GoodSAM scores funding 🍫

  • ZitSticka refreshes packaging 💯

  • Glossier expands Balm Dotcom range 💄

  • Doughlicious heads to Target 🎯

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Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Amass Brands Group (ABG), a diversified wine & spirits company, has acquired Calirosa Tequila, a premium tequila brand that ages its tequila in red wine barrels. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ABG also owns stakes in Gem & Bolt Mezcal, Summer Water Rosé, and Body Vodka. Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, co-founded Calirosa Tequila. The Spirits Business 

  • RéVive Skincare, a luxury skincare brand that launched in 1997, has been acquired by Chinese beauty conglomerate S’Young Group. The seller is Tengram Capital Partners who acquired RéVive Skincare from Japanese beauty giant Shiseido in 2017. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Retail in Asia

Fundraising

  • Blue Stripes, a New York-based startup that upcycles whole cacao fruit into nutritious food & beverage products, raised $20M in Series B funding. Zintinus led the round. Other investors include The Hershey Company, Whole Foods Market, and DMG Ventures. The chocolate industry typically wastes up to 70% of the cacao, but Blue Stripes uses the shell, fruit, and beans. PR Newswire

  • Leading sexual health & wellness brand Hello Cake secured $18M in Series B funding. The round was co-led by Silas Capital and Strand Equity. AF Ventures also participated in the round. Hello Cake was founded in 2018 and sells prescription medications, supplements, lubricants and devices. Business Wire

  • GoodSAM, a sustainable snack brand that supports smaller farmers and regenerative farming practices, raised nearly $6.5M in fresh equity funding. Investors include ALIVE Ventures, CT Innovations, and Desert Bloom. SEC 

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • ZitSticka, the skincare brand known for its effective acne and blemish solutions, unveiled a bold new look. Their previous packaging gave off private label vibes so this is a massive improvement. PR Newswire

  • Natural oral care brand Boka is expanding into the supplements space with a new line of prebiotics and probiotics. Dubbed Boka Well, the new supplement line is available exclusively via their website. Happi

  • Bloom Nutrition launched its Colostrum & Collagen Peptides product in a fun new flavor — Orange Cream. Instagram

  • SUPPLE is a new purveyor of orthopedic drink mixes that support joint health and performance. When I see brands like SUPPLE, I’m reminded that the number of Americans aged 65+ is projected to increase from 58M in 2022 to 82M by 2050 (a 47% increase) PR Newswire

  • Popular fashion brand Reformation partnered with Clare Waight Keller to launch its first-ever jewelry collection. Business of Fashion

  • Glossier expanded its Balm Dotcom range with two new shades: Biscotti and Espresso. Instagram

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Actor Tom Holland officially launched BERO, a premium non-alcoholic beer brand. The brand was developed alongside Imaginary Ventures, WME, and CEO John Herman. Herman is a beverage industry vet who recently served as the President of Nutrabolt, the owner of C4 Energy. BERO will launch at Target early next year. CENTER did a terrific job on the packaging. VinePair

  • Algae Cooking Club expanded its lineup with two new products: Shiitake Mushroom Oil and Gochugaru Chili Oil. They look fantastic. NOSH

  • Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg unveiled their newest spirits product — Still G.I.N. Earlier this year, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg launched a RTD cocktail brand called Gin & Juice. PR Newswire

  • Plant-based protein shake brand Koia launched a line of organic shakes for kids called Koia Kids. Three flavors are available: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Fruity Cereal. PR Web

  • Highland Park, a producer of single malt Scotch whisky, dropped a very clean packaging refresh. The Spirits Business

  • Kaiser, a Canadian purveyor of frozen oat-based desserts, officially launched with a wide variety of products. Kaiser is currently available throughout Quebec and will launch in Toronto later this year. By early 2025, production will move to a 45,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Business Wire

  • Lemon Perfect’s new cans look pretty damn good. Twitter

Data 🖥️

  • LVMH saw its spirits sales dip 11% for the first nine months of 2024. Similarly, their champagne and wine sales also dipped 6% over the same period. The Spirits Business

  • Now we know that Taylor Swift wearing Fazit Beauty on national TV led to more than $1M in sales. Beauty Independent

Distribution News 🚚