Garage Beer Grabs Funding, Boxed Wine Gains Momentum 📈

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

• 8VC backs Sesh+ 👀

• Kreatures of Habit crowdfunds 🥣

• AriZona x Mike’s Hot Honey collab 🌶️

• Sauz drops 4 new flavors 🍝

• Pioneer Pastures lands at Sprouts 🐮

Garage Beer Grabs Funding 🍻

Fast-growing light beer brand Garage Beer secured an undisclosed amount of growth funding from Durational Capital, a consumer-focused private equity firm. Garage Beer is now valued at $200 million per The Wall Street Journal.

Under the leadership of CEO Andy Sauer, Garage Beer has become the fastest-growing beer brand in the United States. The company expects revenue to exceed $60 million this year, up from less than $20 million in 2024. Additionally, Garage Beer expects volume to surpass 300,000 barrels, making it a top 20 craft brewer in the U.S.

Garage Beer was already a top-selling beer brand in states like Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, then they added Jason & Travis Kelce as investors and brand ambassadors in 2024, setting the stage for the brand to become a nationwide player in the massive light beer category.

The light beer market in the U.S. is at an interesting inflection point. The major players like Bud Light, Coors Light, and Modelo are trending downwards in terms of retail sales, while a slew of younger, nimbler, and more culturally relevant brands are making serious inroads.

A few years ago there weren’t many emerging brands vying for nationwide relevance in this category, but now we have quite a few:

Given the sheer size of the category and the habitual demand for light beer in the U.S., some of these emerging brands will make compelling acquisition targets for AB InBev, Constellation Brands, Molson Coors, and others.

More on the fundraise here.

The Top CPG Brands Have One Thing in Common - TikTok Shop is Their Fastest Growing Channel 🚨

Zainith Agency is a boutique digital marketing agency exclusively focused on TikTok Shop. 

They’ve worked with brands like Momofuku, Obvi, Kinobody by Greg O’ Gallagher, Ice Shaker by NFL Star Chris Gronkowski, and more to set-up and scale TikTok Shop to over $15 million in sales last Q4.

For a limited time, they’re offering a free 30-minute consultation/audit for brands doing at least $1 million/year in sales. Claim your spot here.

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Telehealth company Remedy Meds is acquiring Thirty Madison for north of $500M. The deal brings together a number of verticalized telehealth brands like Remedy Meds (weight loss), Keeps (men's hair loss), Nurx (women's health), and Cove (migraines). Remedy Meds today sits at $450M+ in annual revenue, allowing Thirty Madison's profitable, $220M+ revenue business to benefit from the financials of a scaled platform. Axios

• Post Holdings is selling its recently acquired pasta division for $375M in cash. The buyer is a U.S. subsidiary of Richardson International, a major North American food processor. Post Holdings purchased the remainder of 8th Avenue Food & Provisions in April and will retain the majority of the company sans pasta division. Food Dive

Fundraising

• Sesh+, a premium purveyor of nicotine pouches, announced another round of funding co-led by 8VC and Troy Link, the CEO of Jack Link’s. Other investors include Electric Feel Ventures, Post Malone, Diplo, and comedian Andrew Schulz. Sesh+ was founded in 2020 and retails at Buc-ee’s, Circle K, Sheetz, and QuikTrip. To date the brand has raised a total of $40M. Business Wire

• Functional nutrition platform Kreatures of Habit has raised over $660K on crowdfunding platform Start Engine. The brand was founded by creator and hospitality entrepreneur Michael Chernow. Kreatures of Habit is 100% a DTC brand and did nearly $3.3M in net revenue in 2024. Start Engine

• UK-based premium rum brand Duppy Share has raised almost £500K on crowdfunding platform CrowdCube. The company expects to do £3.1M in revenue this year and commands a solid portion of the UK premium rum category. Just Drinks

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• 15-year-old content creator Salish Matter launched a skincare brand called Sincerely Yours with her father, Jordan Matter. Beauty industry vet Julia Straus and Strand Equity are also involved with the brand. Their debut collection features four different products which are launching exclusively at Sephora. Sincerely Yours is positioned as a “skincare brand with and for teens.” The packaging is warm, understated, and somehow trustworthy. Fashionista

• Metacine, the skincare brand co-founded by renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Diamond, is releasing its fourth product, a moisturizer, on September 23rd. WWD 

• Tennis star Emma Raducanu was named the first-ever Global Brand Ambassador for Wild, the sustainable personal care brand that Unilever acquired earlier this year. Global Cosmetics News

• Viral British haircare brand Hair Syrup just launched in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Lucie Macleod launched Hair Syrup in 2020 and the brand now retails at Boots, Urban Outfitters, and ASOS. The Industry

• Augustinus Bader and Victoria Beckham doubled down on their partnership by releasing a skin-friendly foundation called The Foundation Drops. The product is available in 19 shades and retails for £104. Vogue

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• AriZona Iced Tea joined forces with Mike’s Hot Honey to launch three spicy beverages: Spicy Green Tea, Spicy Watermelon, and Spicy Much Mango. The new line is available online and at select nationwide retailers. Looks like AriZona plans on launching three other new products this month too. Instagram

• Better-for-you snack brand Wild Fox officially debuted. They currently offer three product lines — protein bars, roasted nuts, and trail mix — which are free from seed oils and refined sugars. Wild Fox was co-founded by Kevin McCray and Kelsie Costa who previously sold Kevin’s Natural Foods for $800M. Wild Fox

• Fast-growing pasta sauce brand Sauz just dropped four new SKUs: Basil Jalapeno Pesto, Lemon Pepper Pesto, Salted Pistachio Alfredo, and Paprika Parmesan Alfredo. The new flavors are available storewide at Whole Foods Market. Instagram 

• Släcka is a clean-label, sugar-free beverage brand that’s designed to curb cravings. The product is formulated with 5-HTP, paraxanthine, electrolytes, acetyl-L-carnitine, and a few other active ingredients. Släcka currently offers three flavors which are available at independent retailers throughout New York. PR Newswire

• DOZZ is a newish canned brand soup brand that just launched in the UK. The branding is pretty fantastic and they offer a wide variety of flavors. DOZZ originally launched in Romania where it’s widely distributed. The Grocer

• Premium tortilla chip brand MASA just unveiled its newest flavor: Hatch Chile. They really nailed the branding. Instagram

• The meat snack collaboration between Jack Link’s and MrBeast is officially rolling out at retailers across the country. LinkedIn

• Better-for-you soda brand Wildwonder dropped a new flavor: Blackberry Violet. It’s arguably their best-looking can yet. Instagram

Data 🖥️

• Boxed wine sales continue to gain momentum despite the gloom surrounding the overall wine category. Sales of boxed wines are up 6% year-over-year to $2.2B. There are a number of emerging brands like Ami Ami, Gratsi, Juliet, Medly, and others making moves in this category. Twitter

Distribution News 🚚

• Pioneer Pastures is launching at Sprouts Farmers Market.

• El Nacho launched at Lassens Natural Foods.

• Low & Slow Snacks launched at select 7-Eleven and Walmart stores.

• Alec’s launched their Culture Cup line at select Target stores.

• Hot Girl Pickles launched at Central Market in Texas.