Align Ventures Raises $125M, Drizzy Preps U.S. Launch 👀

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CPG WIRE
July 29, 2026

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

  • Brown-Forman rebuffs offer 🥃

  • Valerie seeks buyer 💊

  • Truvani expands into hydration 💧

  • DIRT officially launches 🫒

  • Vita Coco delivers again in Q2 🌴

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Last Friday, Bain Capital acquired Vitabiotics, the UK’s #1 vitamin and supplement brand. The purchase price was reportedly in the neighborhood of $1.2B. Founded in 1971 by Kartar Lalvani OBE, Vitabiotics owns several category leading brands, including Wellman, Wellwoman, Perfectil, Osteocare, and others. Under the leadership of CEO Tej Lalvani, Vitabiotics scaled revenue from £101M to over £195M. Bloomberg

  • UK-based women’s wellness brand Valerie is looking for a buyer. Co-founded by Olly Johnson and Wizz Selvey, Valerie specializes in high-absorption nutritional supplements for women over 35. The company reportedly has 80% gross margins along with an AOV north of £70. LinkedIn

  • Brown-Forman has rebuffed another takeover offer from Sazerac. This time Sazerac engaged key shareholders directly and asked them to reconsider its $15B bid. Brown-Forman’s Board of Directors said the offer didn’t align with the company’s long-term vision. Inc.

  • German cookie maker Greisson-De Beukelaer has acquired the Mississippi-based parent company of Pirouline for an undisclosed sum. The company was founded nearly 50 years ago and produces creme filled wafer cookies. 2025 revenue was north of $40M. Baking Business

Fundraising

  • Align Ventures closed its early stage Fund II with $125M in total commitments. Founded in 2014 and led by Managing Partners Ben Bryce and Grant Hosking, Align Ventures is an investor in Starface, OLIPOP, The Absorption Company, California Naturals, and several other brands. The firm’s recent exits include Coterie, Touchland, and Billie. Instagram

  • DITTO, a UK-based menstrual health & wellness startup, secured $6M in seed funding led by FoodLabs. Existing investor Eka Ventures also participated in this round. Founded by nutrition scientist & doctoral researcher Alice van der Schoot, DITTO aims to bring clinical credibility to a historically overlooked category. Linkedin

  • TikTok stars Katie Fang and Aliya Rachinski invested in ESW Beauty, a Gen-Z skincare brand best known for its raw juice face masks. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed but ESW expects revenue to top $20M this year, up from $11M in 2025. WWD

  • Oral care innovator DAYLY secured a strategic investment from Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners. The founder of Morrison Seger, Rogers Healy, will also serve as an advisor to the company. DAYLY launched roughly one month ago with a vitamin-infused AM/PM oral wellness system. LinkedIn

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Truvani expanded into a new category with its Electrolyte Drink Mix line. The product is formulated with organic fruit extracts, four essential minerals, and zero sugar, stevia, or synthetic citric acid. Three flavors are available: Strawberry, Lemon Lime, and Piña Colada. Truvani launched in 2018 and bootstrapped until securing a strategic investment from RX3 Growth Partners in 2025. Truvani

  • Katia Beauchamp, the co-founder & former CEO of Birchbox, is back with a natural nail care brand called Buff Beauty. Buff Beauty launched with 22 different SKUs, including several stylish tools and a “Skincare For Your Nails” line. The branding, packaging, and overall design are really impressive. After leaving Birchbox in 2021, Beauchamp served as the CEO of Victoria Beckham Beauty until 2024 👇 WWD

  • Swiss longevity specialist Timeline won a major legal dispute against 19 sellers of fake Urolithin A supplements. Timeline was also awarded $5.3M in damages as a result. LinkedIn

  • Bubble hired its first-ever CMO and its Sol de Janeiro alum Diana Rubin. Prior to joining L’Occitane Group to scale Sol de Janeiro, Rubin spent over a decade at L’Oreal, growing brands like Kiehl’s, YSL Beauty, and Lancome. WWD

  • Instant Hydration co-founder Jordan Menard is stepping away from the business after growing it into a 9-figure brand. Curious to see what Menard cooks up next. Twitter

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Australian peanut butter innovator Drizzy is launching in the U.S. in August. Georgia Park and Jason Spyrides launched the business in Sydney four months ago and now they’re relocating to the U.S. with backing from RiverPark Ventures, Nucleus Ventures, and Alexis Ohanian. Drizzy recently partnered with David’s pop-up scoop shop in NYC. Instagram

  • The co-founders of Oshun just launched an organic and single origin olive oil brand called DIRT. DIRT uses Koroneiki olives which are grown in Crete and then cold pressed, resulting in a high polyphenol organic olive oil. The label and tinted glass bottle are both stunning. Instagram

  • FITCRUNCH launched a new multi-texture protein bar line called Puff N’ Crunchy. The new bar features a crisp cookie base, a marshmallow-like layer, and a chocolate coating. The macros are solid with 18g of protein and 3-6g of fiber. PR Newswire

  • Gritzy is a new food brand that’s bringing a modern twist to timeless Southern staples, starting with heat-and-eat, stone-ground grits that are ready in just 90 seconds. Gritzy debuted with two heat-and-eat grits SKUs: Classic and Buttery. The branding is warm and approachable. Excited to try. Gritzy

  • VKTRY Protein is launching with a protein shot range on September 1st. Each 3.3 oz shot contains 23g of protein, zero sugar, and no lactose. The company was founded by Brad Pyatt who previously co-founded TRUBAR and IQ Pouch. LinkedIn

  • Functional drink mix brand Nello launched an RTD energy drink line with one limited-time flavor: Apple Rush. Their energy drink is formulated with 150mg of green tea caffeine, 200mg of L-Theanine, 200mg of Alpha-GPC, and several other functional ingredients. Apple Rush is available exclusively at Target. Instagram

Data 🖥️

  • The Vita Coco Company continues to cook with gas. After shelling out upwards of $200M to acquire Copra last week, Vita Coco reported impressive Q2 results with net sales jumping 28% to $216M in the period. Gross margin and net income also improved considerably. Vita Coco 

  • LVMH’s Wine & Spirits division saw organic sales rise 5% in H1 2026. The improvement was driven by increases in wine, champagne, and cognac volumes. Things were looking dire for LVMH’s Wine & Spirits division in 2025. The Spirits Business

Distribution News 🚚