Cymbiotika Scores $25M, Vanterra Backs Cove 🥤

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

• Clearstone Capital buys Brüst ☕️

• Doughlicious secures more funding 🍪

• Dua Lipa launches skincare line 🧪

• Bachan’s collabs with Laoban 🥢

• Vital Farms delivers in Q3 🍳

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Canadian private equity firm Clearstone Capital has acquired Brüst Beverage Company, a producer of ready-to-drink protein coffees. Founded in 2018 and based in Toronto, Brüst’s RTD coffee line features 20g of grass-fed protein and 175mg of caffeine. Clearstone aims to expand the company’s manufacturing capabilities and distribution. World Coffee Portal

• Fresca Foods, a Colorado-based contract manufacturer of natural and organic snacks, has sold a majority stake to Cerealto, a European manufacturer of cereals and snacks. Fresca operates 350,000-square-feet of manufacturing and warehouse space across two facilities. Baking Business

• The founder of Miyoko’s Creamery is looking to acquire the brand three years after being ousted from the CEO role. The plant-based dairy company is insolvent and Miyoko Schinner believes she can turn the biz around. AgFunderNews

Fundraising

• Cymbiotika closed a $25M seed round led by David Grutman, a hospitality entrepreneur turned savvy CPG investor. Isabela Grutman, Daymond John, Ryan Tedder, Guy Oseary, Post Malone, and a slew of other notable figures also participated in the round. Cymbiotika launched in 2019 and grew to $150M in annual sales without raising any equity funding (they did leverage $30M of debt financing, however). In addition to the equity round, Cymbiotika recenty launched storewide at Target. Instagram

• Canadian modern soda brand Cove just closed a $15M Series A round led by Vanterra Ventures. Cove has been on a roll since pivoting to better-for-you soda in 2023. Their soda line can be found at 7,000 stores across North America including Costco, Target, Sprouts, and Whole Foods Market. Palm Tree Crew, Simple Food Ventures, RiverPark Ventures, and a number of others also participated in the round. Peep Vanterra’s impressive portfolio at the link. Twitter

• Frozen novelties brand Doughlicious snagged an investment from Future Back Ventures. Future Back Ventures is a vehicle from Bain & Company that backs businesses founded or led by former Bain professionals. Doughlicious also closed a $5M round led by RPV and The Angel Group earlier this year. PR Newswire

• Better-for-you jelly snack brand Oddball closed a $2M seed round led by Springdale Ventures. Founded by Sophia Cheng and based in New York, Oddball reimagined Jell-O with real fruit and clean ingredients. Food Business News

• Alec’s Ice Cream secured a $1.25M line of credit from asset-based lender JPalmer Collective. NOSH

Over 1,000 CPG Brands Use Minisocial For Premium Content and Micro-Influencers 📈

'Tis the season to stand out! In a crowded Q4, your brand needs content that doesn't just get seen — it gets results.

minisocial connects you with micro-influencers who create scroll-stopping, fully-licensed content that resonates with holiday shoppers.

Trusted by brands you know: Our Place, Lemon Perfect, MadeGood, Cocokind, and many more.

Here’s the minisocial magic: 

🤳 Authentic Creation: Micro-influencers produce genuine, on-brand content that feels native, not forced.

📣 Amplified Reach: They share with their engaged communities, delivering organic visibility that can't be beat.

♻️ Endless Usage Rights: Every video comes fully licensed, ready to go for ads, email campaigns, social posts, website content. Yes, you can even whitelist the creators posts!

The best part? No agency retainers or long-term contracts. Campaigns start at just $2,500, plus mention CPG Wire and save 15% on your first campaign.

Book a call with Kirsten or learn more about minisocial!

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Dua Lipa partnered with luxury skincare powerhouse Augustinus Bader to launch DUA by AB Science, a high-performance and accessibly-priced skincare brand. DUA launched with three products: Renewal Cream ($75), Supercharged Glow Complex ($80), and Balancing Cream Cleanser ($40). The products are powered by Augustinus Bader’s proprietary Trigger Factor Complex technology. The partnership makes sense for both parties: Dua gets access to AB’s intellectual property and brand equity, while AB gets to leverage Dua Lipa’s influence to market to a new demographic. NewBeauty

• Argentinian fragrance house Fueguia 1833 opened a two-story boutique in London. The store is located in Mayfair and showcases their entire collection of 120 perfumes. Business of Fashion

• Lemme expanded into the fast-growing colostrum category with two products: gummies and a liposomal liquid. The liquid colostrum is Lemme’s first non-gummy product. The new SKUs will be available exclusively via their website later today. Twitter

• O Positiv Health launched URO Metabolism + Probiotic, a once-daily supplement that supports metabolism, weight management, and digestive health. O Positiv hired bankers earlier this year as the company anticipates $275M in sales. PR Newswire

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Bachan’s and Laoban joined forces to launch a killer limited-edition product: Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Bachan's Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce. It’ll be interesting to see if this leads to more licensing deals for Bachan’s (a la Mike’s Hot Honey). PR Newswire

• Athletic Brewing and Vans Warped Tour collaborated on a commemorative brew called Side Stage. The non-alc beer is a bright, hoppy pale ale with a dash of citrus. Instagram

• Market Basket launched one of the best-looking private label beers I’ve ever seen. 10/10 work. Instagram

• Unwell Hydration, the beverage brand co-founded by podcaster Alex Cooper, is dipping its toe into the energy drink category with a limited-edition Frosted Cranberry flavor. As evidenced by the Alani Nu and Bloom Nutrition exits, selling energy drinks to ladies is big business. Stack3d

• Recess also released a limited-edition holiday flavor with its Peppermint Bark ‘Tini. It looks like you can find it online and at Sprouts Farmers Market. Instagram

• WELD is a new protein-packed energy drink brand that’s launching in January. Each can contains 18g of protein and 200mg of caffeine. The branding is fun and perfect for its target demo. WELD

• THC-infused beverage brand Willie’s Remedy+ continues to expand into new categories. After launching with ready-to-serve bottles then expanding into RTDs, Willie’s Remedy+ just introduced two shots. Instagram

• UK-based protein cereal brand Surreal unveiled a sleek new brand identity. The refresh looks great and they followed a pretty standard framework: bolder logo, better imagery, and clearer callouts. LinkedIn

Data 🖥️

• Vital Farms delivered in Q3 with net sales rising over 37% to $198.9M. Net income also more than doubled to $16M and the company added a third production line at its Springfield facility while expanding its family farm network to 575 farms. Business Wire

• Celsius had a monster Q3 with revenue surging 173% to just over $725M. Sales of Alani Nu jumped 114% while Celsius itself grew by double-digits. The company now commands 20.8% of the U.S. energy drink category. Business Wire

Distribution News 🚚

• Once Upon a Coconut launched at Wegmans.

• Swedish candy brand Sockerbit launched at Target.

• Wavers launched at 7-Eleven in Australia.

• Low and Slow launched at Sam’s Club in Texas.

• KiZE launched at over 600 Albertsons stores.