Empirical Secures Funding, Apostrophe Shutters 👀

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

• Tiba Tempeh raises £1.1M 💰

• Sandbridge backs Fara Homidi 💄

• Matthew Walker joins Estee Lauder 💤

• Loisa refreshes packaging 😍

• Brami goes nationwide at Whole Foods 🍝

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Quest Products, a purveyor of OTC healthcare solutions and a portfolio company of Promus Equity Partners, has acquired Beyond Health which owns Doctor Butler’s. By acquiring Beyond Health, Quest Products expects to surpass $100M in annual revenue. PR Newswire

• Spanish brewer Mahou San Miguel has acquired the remainder of Founders Brewing Company, a Michigan-based craft beer producer. Mahou first invested in Founders Brewing in 2015. Just Drinks

Fundraising

• Brooklyn-based spirits brand Empirical raised around $3.2M in fresh equity funding from undisclosed investors. The company was founded in 2017 by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen, two former chefs at Noma in Copenhagen. Empirical recently opened a bar and tasting room in Brooklyn called 53 A.D. SEC

• Tiba Tempeh, a UK-based purveyor of plant-based meat products, secured £1.1M in funding from Maven Capital Partners and other investors. Tiba Tempeh was founded in 2019 and their retail sales shot up 736% year-over-year. The Grocer

• Clean makeup brand Fara Homidi raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Sandbridge Capital. Renowned makeup artist Fara Homidi launched the brand in 2020. Their retail partners include Sephora, Violet Grey, and Goop. Sandbridge is also an investor in DedCool, Henry Rose, Madison Reed, Peach & Lily, and a number of other brands. Business of Fashion

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Hims & Hers officially shut down Apostrophe, the teledermatology startup that it acquired in 2021 for $190M. They’re shutting the service down in order to simplify their dermatology offerings and streamline operations. Reuters

• Orlebar Brown, the premium apparel brand that Chanel acquired in 2018, is accelerating its retail rollout by opening nine new stores in destinations like Monte Carlo, Bangkok, and Phuket. WWD

• Serial beauty entrepreneur Jaimee Lupton launched her haircare brand Being in the UK. The masstige haircare brand will be available exclusively at Superdrug. Each product is priced at a very affordable £7.99. Earlier this year, Jaimee Lupton also launched DAISE Beauty and Laura Polko Los Angeles. The Industry

• Estée Lauder named Dr. Matthew Walker as the brand’s first-ever Global Sleep Science Advisor. Walker is a globally recognized sleep expert and wrote a best selling book on sleep in 2017. Happi

• Actor and influencer Lili Reinhart officially launched Personal Day, a dermatologist-developed, acne-safe skincare brand. The brand is available in the U.S. and internationally via Revolve Beauty. Inc

• Summer Fridays is launching a fun new product — Jet Lag Eye Patches. The new product will be available at Sephora on March 18th. Instagram

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Loisa, a purveyor of Latin American pantry staples, partnered with Day Job to refresh their packaging. The latest iteration is brighter, bolder, and features clearer callouts. Instagram

• Apparently there’s a protein pasta sauce brand called Sturdy Sauce. Each jar contains 80g of protein and the brand retails at Sprouts, Raley’s, and other independent stores. I’d give it a shot. Twitter

• Maui Brewing Company, the largest craft brewer in Hawaii, launched a new vodka soda line with two flavors: Pineapple and Mango. BevNET

• Zab’s Hot Sauce partnered with Prime Pizza in LA to launch a Spicy Ranch SKU. Great-looking label. Instagram

• Sour Strips launched two new products: Bluerazz Lemonade Bites and Melonade Bites. Instagram

• Poppi is now the official soda partner of Inter Miami. Fans will be able to purchase Poppi at concession stands, premium suites, and at several branded locations throughout the stadium. Instagram

• Lightstrike, the new hard refresher brand from New Belgium Brewing Company, officially launched nationwide with two flavors: Lemon Lime and Orange Mango. The 5% ABV beverage isn’t carbonated and contains coconut water and a dash of sea salt. PR Newswire

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Data 🖥️

• According to the NCA, confectionery sales surpassed $54B in 2024. The confectionery category is expected to exceed $70B by 2029. Additionally, in 2024, 98% of households purchased confectionery at least once. Snack & Bakery

• Feastables did a staggering $250M in sales last year. MrBeast launched the chocolate brand in January of 2022. Insane. Instagram

Distribution News 🚚

• Protein pasta brand Brami launched nationwide at Whole Foods Market.

• Cannabis beverage brand oHHo launched at Spec’s.

• Nemi Snacks launched at Meijer.

• CVT Soft Serve launched at select CVS Pharmacy stores.

• Smak Dab Mustard launched at Whole Foods Market in Canada.