Campari Sells Another Brand, VO/D Raises $5M 🍭

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CPG WIRE
June 28, 2025

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

  • Mars runs into trouble with the EU 🍫

  • Saicho Sparkling Tea grabs £1.5M 💰

  • Odele appoints beauty vet as CEO 🎯

  • King’s Hawaiian drops a new look 💯

  • Nurri knocks it out of the park 📈

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Campari Group is selling Italian vermouth and sparkling wine brand Cinzano for €100M. The buyer is Caffo Group 1915, another Italian spirits firm. Frattina, a grappa and sparkling wine brand, was also included in the transaction. In 2024, Cinzano and Frattina combined for €75M in net sales (or roughly 2% of Campari Group’s overall net sales). Campari has been adjusting its brand portfolio lately. Earlier this year they divested Howler Head for an undisclosed sum. They also added a majority stake in Wildnerness Trail Distillery for $420M and purchased Courvoisier for $1.2B over the past few years. The Spirits Business

  • North Coast Brands has acquired RxSugar, a leading brand of allulose-based food products. RxSugar sells a variety of products including zero sugar syrup, candy bars, oatmeal, and supplements. North Coast Brands, majority owned by China’s Kingdomway, owns a handful of VMS brands like Doctor’s Best, ZipFizz, and Viactiv. PR Newswire

  • Barrel One Collective, the largest craft brewer in New England, has acquired Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company as it seeks more exposure to the high-ABV craft beer market. Barrel One Collective also owns Harpoon Brewery, Long Trail Brewing Co., Smuttynose Brewing, and a number of other brands. Brewbound

  • The FTC approved Mars’ $36B takeover of Kellanova but the deal will be delayed as the European Union just launched an in-depth antitrust investigation. Mars remains confident that they’ll get the deal done. Food Dive

Fundraising

  • VO/D, a venture studio that specializes in creator-led consumer brands, closed a $5M funding round led by KarpReilly. Saquon Barkley, Chris Paul, Odell Beckham, AJ Patel, and Yosef Martin also participated in the round. VO/D is best known for developing 1UP Candy, the fast-growing candy brand co-founded by YouTuber Brian “FaZe Rug” Awadis. Next up, VO/D is taking on the supplements category with a handful of new brands. Business Insider

  • Saicho, a UK-based purveyor of single origin sparkling teas, secured £1.5M in funding. The round was led by West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO) with participation from Future Planet Capital Regional. The London-based luxury beverage brand was founded in 2019 by husband-and-wife team Charlie Winkworth-Smith and Natalie Chiu. Saicho’s products can be found at high-end hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants across the world. Just Drinks 

  • Science-driven skincare brand Epicutis just raised $10M in Series B funding. The round was led by a longstanding board member. Epicutis uses three patented active ingredients in its products and the company expects sales to exceed $35M this year. Beauty Independent

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Odele, the fast-growing masstige haircare brand from Minneapolis, just hired beauty vet Zach Rieken as its new CEO. Prior to joining Odele, Rieken was the CEO of Living Proof, a haircare brand that Unilever acquired in 2016. Odele currently retails at 12,000 doors across the country and 2024 revenue was in the range of $30M. WWD

  • Soft Rows, a new textured haircare brand, officially launched yesterday. The brand was founded by Quani Burnett and participated in Sephora’s accelerator program last year. Soft Rows (great name) currently offers three haircare products and a bundle. Instagram

  • Aviator Nation is partnering with Major League Baseball to launch six limited edition capsule collections. The apparel brand will release collections with the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox. PR Newswire

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Iconic bread brand King’s Hawaiian is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a sleek new brand identity. The vintage aesthetic combined with the new illustrated icons gives the brand a more premium feel. Creative Review

  • Even lagacy pasta maker Rummo is getting in on the protein craze. The family-owned Italian pasta company just launched a new line called Maxima which contains 21g of protein per serving. Their protein pasta is formulated with durum wheat semolina and yellow peas. PR Newswire

  • Nissin Foods, the Japanese food conglomerate behind Cup Noodles, just launched KANZEN MEAL, a line of nutrient-dense frozen meals. Three SKUs are currently available in the US: Fettucine Alfredo, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Shrimp Teriyaki. Each serving contains up to 23g of protein, 10g of fiber, and a ton of vitamins and minerals. Food Business News

  • Juvee, the energy drink brand that Sprecher Brewing acquired in early 2024, is launching 16 oz tall boys for a limited time. Stack3d

  • The guys behind the popular All-In Podcast just launched an ultra-premium tequila called The Besties All-In Tequila. Just when I thought celebs were done launching tequila brands, we get another one. Never let your guard down. Business Wire

  • Jeni’s Ice Cream is celebrating summer by releasing six fun flavors: Toasted S’Mores, Pink Bubble Gum, Root Beer Float, Watermelon Taffy, Strawberry Pretzel Pie, and Popcorn Brittle. PR Newswire

  • Lucky Energy is dropping two new flavors — Cherry Pop and Mango Pineapple — in the near future. Stack3d

Data 🖥️

  • Protein milk shake brand Nurri is growing at an obscene rate. Since launching around nine months ago, Nurri has already done north of $200M in retail sales. A potent reminder of how winning in Costco is such an unlock for brands. Twitter

  • UK-based skincare brand REFY is also growing fast. Founded by influencer Jessica Hunt, REFY sales jumped just over 80% to £40.4M. The Industry

Distribution News 🚚