Doughlicious Bags $5M, YOJU Secures $1.4M 🍸

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CPG WIRE
August 05, 2025

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

  • B&G sells another brand 🥫

  • Martha Stewart bets on skincare 🧴

  • Beyond Meat repositions itself 🌱

  • Ritual enters sleep category 😴

  • Vita Coco delivers in Q2 🥥

Doughlicious Bags $5M 🍪

Doughlicious, a London-based manufacturer of frozen novelties, secured $5 million in fresh equity funding. The round was co-led by The Angel Group, a consumer-focused investor collective, and Rich Products Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Rich Products Corporation, a multinational food company with more than $5.8 billion in annual sales.

Kathryn Bricken launched Doughlicious in 2017 which is best known for its cookie dough-enrobed gelato bites. They’re basically creamy gelato bites wrapped in a cookie dough shell. The company also offers ready-to-bake cookie dough and shelf-stable cookies in the UK, but in the U.S. Doughlicious is entirely focused on its Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites line.

Doughlicious made its U.S. debut in late 2023 after raising £3.5 million from Triple B, a Dutch investment firm. Their retail distribution in the U.S. has grown considerably since then and now includes H-E-B, Target, Whole Foods, and Wegmans.

Despite the inherent difficulties of the category — cold chain logistics, punishing slotting fees, and very limited merchandising space — interest in frozen novelties has exploded recently and emerging brands are piling in. Now we have a whole host of brands launching exciting innovations in the category:

Strategics have been spending big to acquire assets in frozen novelties as the space continues to grow too. Mars purchased Trü Frü in 2022, and Unilever acquired Yasso in the summer of 2023.

More on the fundraise here.

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • B&G Foods, the owner of grocery store staples like Crisco, McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, and Green Giant, is selling premium canned vegetables brand Le Sueur for an undisclosed sum. The buyer is McCall Farms, a South Carolina-based producer of canned goods. A manufacturing facility in New Jersey was also included in the transaction. B&G Foods has been streamlining its portfolio lately. In May, the company divested Don Pepino and Sclafani. Food Dive

Fundraising

  • Los Angeles-based canned cocktail brand YOJU secured $1.4M in funding from Top Shelf Ventures and No Sleep Beverage. YOJU, which sells RTD soju cocktails at retailers like Trader Joe’s and 7-Eleven, was founded in 2020. Sales of the Korean spirit have been steadily rising in North America. Twitter

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • 84-year-old Martha Stewart partnered with Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali, a board certified dermatologist, to launch a skincare brand called Elm Biosciences. The DTC skincare brand will debut with two products: A3O Elemental Serum ($135) and Inner Dose Daily Skin Supplement ($50). Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali was the Founding Dermatology Partner behind Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand. Elm Biosciences will officially launch in September. WWD

  • Fast-growing skincare brand Byoma is diving into acne care with its new Blemish range. The collection features a cleanser, serum, moisturizer, and three other products. The new range will launch exclusively at Target in September. The Industry

  • Anthropologie is reintroducing Maeve, its private label apparel brand, as a standalone brand. Moving forward Maeve will have dedicated retail stores and separate social media channels. 2 million customers have shopped Maeve in the past year and now Anthropologie is doubling down. Glossy

  • Fast-growing women’s wellness brand Ritual is unveiling a sleep supplement today. Instagram

  • To celebrate the launch of its newest flavor, Grüns hosted a pop-up in New York that featured an enormous gummy bear statue in Madison Square Park. The company also had brand ambassadors roaming the city and offering samples. LinkedIn

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Transparent Labs is launching a Grass-Fed Protein Shake line on August 5th. Each bottle contains 30g of protein and three flavors will be available: Salted Caramel, Vanilla, and Chocolate. Instagram

  • Beyond Meat is dropping “Meat” from its name as the company positions itself as a plant-based protein platform instead of an alternative meats brand. Beyond is also leaning into shorter ingredient lists and nutrient-density in order to win back consumers and return to growth. Fast Company

  • Xochi (pronounced So-Chee) is a new player in the better-for-you soda category. Xochi is formulated with Aguamiel, the sap of the maguey plant, which is a good source of vitamins, minerals, and aminco acids. The branding is very good. Xochi will debut at H-E-B with six novel flavors: Ginger Pina, Mango Chili, Hibiscus Berry, Dandelion Verbena, Tropical Maracuya, and Tamarindo Mandarina. Sign me up. Xochi

  • It appears that sparkling water brand Not Beer is launching a THC beverage line today. Instagram

  • Clean protein bar brand TRUBAR is launching a line of bars for children. The bars contain 8-9g of protein and 7-8g of fiber. They’re also free from gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, and seed oils. Food Business News 

  • High Desert Cactus Vodka revealed a new bottle and label. The new brand identity is bolder and cleaner. Big improvement. Instagram

  • CUCU is a new cucumber water brand that’s positioned as a natural hydration solution. Two flavors are available — Plain and Watermelon — and the beverage contains electrolytes, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Instagram

Data 🖥️

  • The Vita Coco Company reported strong Q2 results. Net sales increased 17% to $169M while net income rose by $4M to $23M. Sales of their flagship coconut water brand jumped 43% internationally and by 22% in North America. Vita Coco

  • Hershey reported explosive sales growth in Q2. The U.S. confectionery giant saw net sales jump 26% to just over $2.6B in the second quarter. Hershey’s fastest-growing division was North American Confectionery which saw net sales rise by 32%. Salty Snacks also performed well with sales up 8.8%. PR Newswire

Distribution News 🚚

  • Fazit launched at 1,400 Walmart stores.

  • Arrae launched storewide at Sprouts Farmers Market.

  • Genius Gourmet launched their protein drink nationwide at Costco.

  • Everyday Dose launched at 1,500 Target stores.

  • Three Wishes launched at 1,300 Publix stores.

  • Javvy lauched their protein coffee line at select Target stores.

  • Juliet launched 3 boxed wine SKUs at Harris Teeter.