Diageo Unloads Safari, Athletic Brewing Raises $50M 🍻

Author

CPG WIRE
July 09, 2024

GM and Happy Tuesday, folks. Hope everyone had an excellent weekend and productive Monday. Let’s dive into the newsletter:

  • Carlsberg buys Britvic 🍺

  • The Maker secures funding 💰

  • Goop expands retail footprint 📈

  • Something new from Madre Mezcal 👀

  • Electrolit stays hot 💧

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Global spirits firm Diageo has sold Safari Liqueur for an undisclosed sum. The buyer is Casa Redondo, a Portuguese spirits firm. Diageo is still seeking a buyer for two other brands: Pimm’s and Pampero Rum. Diageo is always an active buyer and seller. Their recent acquisitions include Don Papa Rum, Balcones Distilling, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, and 21 Seeds Tequila. Diageo

  • Danish brewer Carlsberg is acquiring British soft drinks maker Britvic for $4.2B. Britvic owns and distributes a variety of beverage brands but their most important asset is arguably their PepsiCo license in the UK and Ireland. Brewers across the globe have been buying complementary consumer businesses to insulate themselves from declining beer sales. Kirin spent $1.2B to buy Aussie vitamins brand Blackmores in addition to acquiring Four Pillars Gin. CNBC

Fundraising

  • Athletic Brewing just closed a $50M equity funding round led by General Atlantic. A number of existing investors also participated in the round. Athletic plans to use the new capital to drive continued long-term growth, including through the recently announced purchase of a third U.S. brewing facility and the ongoing expansion of its non-alc beer at retailers across the globe. PR Newswire

  • The Maker, a fragrance brand led by veteran CPG founders, secured funding from True Beauty Ventures. Prior to launching The Maker, Alina Roytberg and Lev Glazman sold their clean beauty brand, Fresh, to LVMH in 2000. WWD

Champion Retail Sales with Crafted 🏆

Crafted is the only influencer platform that drives brick & mortar sales for CPG brands. Clients have reported anywhere from 30-70% sales lift at major retailers like Walmart and Target. Creators are geo-located and rates are set by CPM based on their projected reach. No juggling logistics of in-store content, negotiating rates, or wondering what your ROI was from an influencer campaign. Everything is handled through a hilariously easy-to-use platform.

Brands like Jack Daniels, Meat District, Bulletproof, Botticelli, and Hella Cocktail Co. trust Crafted for their drive-to-retail micro-influencer campaigns.

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Goop is opening its sixth retail store which is located at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur, California. The store features an in-store treatment room which is a retail first for Goop. Exciting. WWD

  • Jo Malone and Paddington released a fantastic fragrance collaboration. The limited-edition fragrance is inspired by Paddington’s favorite treat, orange marmalade. The packaging and accompanying campaign are also cute and well-executed. A lot of recent beauty x media collabs have been duds but this one is a winner IMO. Beauty Packaging

  • Nécessaire teased a new product which will debut later today. These folks don’t miss. Instagram

  • Combeau, the French supplements brand that was acquired by Oh My Cream last year, launched a new hydration line called L’HYDRATANT. Love the minimalist packaging. Combeau


    Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • In a surprise move, Madre Mezcal has expanded into the tequila category with their latest product — Blanco Tequila. This is a sensible move for Madre. Mezcal is a fast-growing category but it’s still tiny compared to tequila. As of 2022, mezcal only represented 3% of total agave spirits volume. By launching a tequila, Madre can leverage their brand equity and popularity to play in a significantly larger market. The label is also pretty beautiful. Great work from LAND👇 Instagram

  • Jacobsen Salt Co. collaborated with Oishii on a fun new product called Koyo Berry Salt. Jacobsen Salt Co.

  • Liquid Death released a new iced tea flavor, Blueberry Buzzsaw, which will be available exclusively at Walmart. Stack3d

  • Pepsi is launching a great-looking soda extension called Floats. Sign me up for their Mug Root Beer Float. Twitter

  • Irish spirits brand The Muff Liquor Company refreshed their bottles. The company is based in Muff, Donegal…thus the name. Packaging of the World

  • Yesly, the canned hydration brand that just launched nationwide at Sprouts, is following in the footsteps of Sparkling Ice and launching a range of caffeinated hydration drinks. Stack3d

  • immi launched a range of veggie ramen toppings. Kinda fun. Twitter

Data 🖥️

  • Despite macro uncertainty, price increases, and increased competition, Electrolit continues to post massive month-over-month volume gains. Really impressive brand and team. PRIME on the other continues to lose momentum. Twitter

Distribution News 🚚

  • S’NOODS launched their noodle snacks at The Fresh Market.

  • Wild Society Nutrition just scored nationwide distribution at Sprouts Farmers Market.

  • Ukrainian vodka brand Nemiroff launched in Canada.

  • Energy drink brand Joggy launched at Lazy Acres Market.

  • Por Osos Vodka launched at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Florida.

  • UNLIMEAT launched a number of their Korean BBQ products at Sprouts Farmers Market.