Campari Sells Two Brands, NextFoods Secures $10M 🍒

Author

CPG WIRE
December 20, 2025

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

  • L Catterton bets on India (again) 👀

  • Coty sells Wella stake for $750M 💵

  • Ja’Marr Chase backs Flerish 💧

  • JMM opens Austin boutique 😎

  • Pretzelized launches at Walgreens 🥨

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Italian spirits firm Campari Group is selling two liqueur brands — Amaro Averna and Zedda Piras — to another Italian spirits company, Illva Saronno, for around $117M. Campari Group spent most of the year streamlining its brand portfolio and divested Cinzano along with its stake in Howler Head. Illva Saronno is best known as the owner of Disaronno. They also purchased Engine Gin in early 2024. The Spirits Business

  • Consumer PE firm L Catterton announced a strategic partnership with Haldiram, an Indian snack and confectionery giant. L Catterton aims to turn the beloved Indian food brand into a global player by accelerating its international expansion. Earlier this year, Temasek acquired 10% of Haldiram at valuation around $10B. Like Unilever, L Catterton is very bullish on India. PR Newswire

  • Coty sold its remaining 25% stake in Wella, a Swiss multinational haircare company, to KKR for $750M and additional proceeds from a future transaction or IPO. Coty will use the $750M to pay down debt. Reuters

Fundraising

  • NextFoods, Inc., a Boulder-based purveyor of functional wellness beverages, secured $10M in growth funding led by ECP Growth. NextFoods is the parent company of GoodBelly, a probiotic beverage brand that launched in 2006, and Cheribundi, a performance beverage brand that it acquired in April 2023. NextFoods’ products are available online and at 20,000 doors across the country. Business Wire

  • NFL star Ja’Marr Chase just joined Flerish, a hydration brand, as an investor and partner. Avery Johnson Jr. and Nick Nevins co-founded Flerish in late 2024. The brand will make its nationwide debut at Kroger in 2026. Instagram

A Message From Matriarch 📈

Matriarch is an 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.

We’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.

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Celebrity hairstylist Rogerio Cavalcante launched a high-performance haircare brand called Brazil Edition. The brand combines science-backed peptides with Amazonian ingredients like babassu and murumuru. Brazil Edition is available DTC and will launch on Amazon and in the salon channel soon. Beauty Independent

  • Luxury eyewear brand Jacques Marie Mage opened a boutique in Austin, TX. The stunning 1,000-square-foot space is located in Clarksville and is open now. JMM went big on retail in 2025 and opened boutiques in Milan, London, Paris, and Tokyo. WWD

  • K+Brown is launching a line of Korea-made skincare products for melanin-rich skin. The company, which is set to launch its first product in a little over a month, was co-founded by Melissa Alfer and Hugo de Mondragon. K+Brown

  • Moon Juice shuttered its last standalone store in LA and is leaving Sephora (the LVMH-owned beauty retailer is deprioritizing supplements). In August, Moon Juice named former Ritual exec Federico Troiani as its new CEO. Business of Fashion

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Stateside Brands, the parent company of Surfside, one of the fastest-growing bev alc brands in the U.S., is launching a new canned cocktail brand called Super Lyte in 2026. Similar to Surfside, Super Lyte is an uncarbonated, vodka-based beverage that’s inspired by sports drinks. Serial entrepreneur Jason Cohen launched a similar product, Spiked Ade, a few months ago. RTD Magazine

  • Non-alcoholic bitters brand All The Bitter just unveiled new branding and packaging. The new bottle is similar to Angostura’s and more in-line with the overall category. They also added custom illustrations and a more coherent color system to differentiate SKUs. Big improvement. Instagram

  • OLIPOP is launching a highly requested new flavor, Shirley Temple, in the new year. It sounds like a handful of cans have already landed on shelves at select retailers. Instagram

  • Poppi, similarly, is teasing the launch of a Shirley Temple flavor by seeding the new product to its network of influencers. Instagram

  • Dry & Dirty is a new zero-proof functional martini brand. It looks like Dry & Dirty is launching with three ready-to-serve options: Dirty, Espresso, and Lemon Drop. The juice is formulated with adaptogen-infused florals, botanicals, and various extracts 👇 Dry & Dirty

  • THC beverage brand Uncle Arnie’s expanded its portfolio with SodaPop, a new line of 12 oz drinks that deliver 10mg of THC. Three flavors are available: Grape, Orange, and Strawberry. Uncle Arnie’s raised $7.5M earlier this year in a round co-led by Mindset Capital and Delta Emerald Ventures. FoodBev

  • Celsius is expanding its energy range in the UK with four additional flavors: Strawberry Watermelon, Mango Lemonade, Kiwi Guava, and Raspberry Peach. International is a key priority for Celisus and YTD international sales were up 30% as of Q3. Stack3d

Data 🖥️

  • Gheelish, a better-for-you salty snack brand, had a strong first full year as sales surpassed $1.8M. Gheelish sells organic popcorn and tortilla chip products that are made with grass-fed ghee instead of seed oils. Their retail partners include Sprouts, Erewhon, Hy-Vee, Thrive Market, and others. Instagram

Distribution News 🚚

  • Remedy Skin is launching at Target on December 28.

  • Little Inca launched nationwide at Sprouts Farmers Market.

  • Pretzelized launched at Walgreens and Duane Reade.

  • Rationale Brewing is now available at select Binny’s locations.

  • Maazah launched nationwide at Sprouts Farmers Market.