Danone Buys MADE Group, Bacardi Strikes Again 🥃

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

• Pat McAfee joins Jams 🏈

• L Catterton backs RŌZ 📈

• Lemme expands creatine range 💪

• Algae Cooking Club drops collab 🔥 

• Smearcase lands at Safeway 🍦

We sat down with Tara Bosch of Snackish and SmartSweets to learn more about her latest venture. You can find the interview on Instagram.

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Three months after purchasing Huel for around $1.2B, Danone is expanding its APAC footprint by acquiring MADE Group for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2005 and based in Melbourne, MADE Group owns several on-trend food & beverage brands like Cocobella (coconut-based products), Rokeby (RTD protein shakes), Impressed (cold-pressed juices), NutrientWater, and The Collective. The company has a significant presence in Australia, New Zealand, and across Southeast Asia. Annual sales are north of €300M. Reuters

• Bacardi is taking full ownership of Teeling Irish Whiskey. Founded in 2012 by Jack & Stephen Teeling, two brothers with a family whiskey history dating back to the 1780s, Bacardi acquired a minority stake in 2017 then doubled down in 2022 to become Teeling's majority shareholder. Bacardi’s recent acquisitions include Ilegal Mezcal ($130M) and D’USSE Cognac. The Spirits Business

Fundraising

• Former NFL player and current star broadcaster Pat McAfee just invested in Jams. In addition to investing in the brand, McAfee will provide creative strategy and partnership support. Jams will also be featured across McAfee’s various media properties. Huge get for Jams. Sports Business Journal

• French fragrance brand Fascent raised $1.5M to support its growth in the U.S. The indie fragrance brand was founded by Fanny Fortin Descamps and Edwina Réthoré, two longtime beauty execs, in 2023. Fascent is growing fast and retails at Oh My Cream, Merci, Credo, and Luckyscent. Beauty Independent

• L Catterton made a significant minority investment in RŌZ, a clean, pro-grade haircare brand. Celebrity hairstylist Mara Roszak launched the brand in L.A. in 2021. Retail partners include Sephora, Credo, Goop, and Nordstrom. Previous investors incude Silas Capital, G9 Ventures, and Lily Collins. Beauty Independent

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Fast-growing skincare brand Prequel is set to debut in the UK. The brand will launch exclusively at Space NK on July 14th. Prequel was created by Dr. Samantha Ellis and The Center, the beauty incubabor behind two big exits: Naturium and Phlur. The Industry

• Lemme expanded its Creatine Body Toning Gummies range with two new flavors: Blue Raspberry and Sour Apple. The new flavors are available exclusively via Lemme’s website. The company also kicked off a nationwide class takeover with Solidcore to celebrate the launch. PR Newswire

• DAYLY launched its vitamin-infused oral care system yesterday. Founded by Shamir Patel and Ananda Saba, DAYLY aims to reimagine and elevate toothpaste with its functional AM & PM system. The company launched with four toothpaste formulas for adults and children — two for morning and two for night —which contain a total of 40 vitamins, minerals, and botanicals. Business Wire

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• ‘ndulge is a new high-protein ice cream bar brand that launched on Monday. The company debuted with five flavors and each ice cream bar contains 10g of protein, gut-friendly probiotics, and 100-160 calories. ‘ndulge launched with serious retail distribution and is available at Albertsons, Kroger, H-E-B, Sprouts, Hannaford, and several other chains. Chris Spencer who previously co-founded Keto Pints is behind the brand. LinkedIn

• Speaking of high-protein ice cream bars…Protein Pints expanded into frozen novelties with its Protein Pops line. Each pop delivers 10g of protein, 180-190 calories, and 75% less sugar than traditional ice cream with no artificial sweeteners. Four flavors are available: Caramel Crunch, Vanilla Crunch, Peanut Butter Crunch, and Mint Crunch. The new line will launch nationwide at Sprouts on June 29th. PR Newswire

• Algae Cooking Club teamed up with viral content creators made by musashi on a limited-edition product: Smoked Tomato Oil. They nailed the co-branded label. Algae Cooking Club has been clever (and selective) about partnering with creators to raise its profile. Last year the company collaborated with Nara Smith on Nara’s Roasted Garlic Oil. Instagram 

• Neutonic will be a Principal Partner and back-of-shirt sponsor for Portsmouth Football Club this coming season. LinkedIn

• Brewt’s expanded beyond mixers with its new RTD margarita line. The canned margaritas are 10% ABV and five flavors are available. The branding is pretty fantastic. LinkedIn 

• Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson launched Merkato by Marcus, a new line of simmer sauces. The simmer sauces were designed to bring layered, restaurant-quality flavor to everyday cooking. You’ll be able to try the new line if you’re attending the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York. Instagram

• Family-friendly snack brand YUMI just released a line of cookies at Target. The better-for-you cookies contain 4g of protein, 3-4g of fiber, and just 6g of sugar. The branding is great. Nosh

• Sazerac launched three canned cocktail brands: Endless Afternoon Whiskey Lemonade, Buckhorn Whiskey Lemonade, and Lovebug Hard Cream Soda. Sazerac has spent considerable resources acquiring RTD cocktail brands like BuzzBallz and Dirty Shirley, and now they’re incubating their own brands. PR Newswire

Data 🖥️

• After pivoting from canned cocktails to beauty supplements earlier this year, k2o by sprinter has generated $4.3M in sales since April. Also the “beauty from within” category is reportedly expected to be worth $7.5B by 2036, up from $3.3B today. Instagram

Distribution News 🚚

• Smearcase launched at select Safeway stores.

• Stars + Honey made its national retail debut at Target.

• Saint James Iced Tea landed at select CVS locations.

• The Only Bean launched nationwide at Target.

• DryWater launched storewide at The Vitamin Shoppe.

• Jackson’s launched at select CVS stores.