GoodSAM Grabs $9M, Bloom Breaks Into Soda šŸ«§

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CPG WIRE
March 06, 2025

Welcome back to This Week in CPG, folks. Iā€™m at Expo West this week and will be posting pretty regularly on Twitter and Instagram. Also youā€™ll find my favorite products from day two here. Letā€™s dive into the newsletter:

  • USHOPAL buys another brand šŸ’°

  • Silas Capital backs Business & Pleasure ā›±ļø

  • Futurewise shutters šŸ§“

  • TRUFF partners with Starbucks šŸ“ˆ

  • Nightingale lands at Costco šŸ¦

Deals šŸ’°

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • USHOPAL Group, a Chinese luxury beauty firm, has acquired French heritage skincare brand PAYOT for an undisclosed sum. PAYOT was founded in 1920 by Dr. Nadia Payot. USHOPAL has been busy lately. In addition to acquiring Argentum Apothecary in 2022, USHOPAL also invested in Documents and Juliette Has a Gun. PR Newswire

Fundraising

  • GoodSAM, a mission-driven food company thatā€™s focused on regenerative agriculture and farmer empowerment, grabbed $9M in Series A funding. The round was led by Alive Ventures with participation from Desert Bloom, LATAM Impact Fund, Connecticut Innovations, and One Small Planet. Founded in 2019 by Heather K. Terry, GoodSAM retails at Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, and a variety of independent retailers. GlobeNewswire

  • Business & Pleasure Co., a purveyor of luxury beach and outdoor furniture, closed a $16M growth funding round led by Silas Capital. B&P was co-founded by Ollie Edwards and Lachlan Leckie in 2017. PR Newswire

  • Ayurvedic skin and haircare brand indē wild raised $5M in funding from Unilever Ventures. The company was founded by influencer Diipa BĆ¼ller-Khosla and is distributed in the US, UK, India, and Canada. Business of Fashion

Whatā€™s New šŸ¤©

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Futurewise, the slugging skincare brand from the co-founders of Starface, is sadly shutting down. Futurewise had clever branding and marketing but ultimately they were competing against Aquaphor and Vaseline, two brands with ubiquitous distribution and more affordable pricing. Beauty Independent

  • Louis Vuitton is doubling down on beauty and hired celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath to be the divisionā€™s Creative Director. Dubbed La BeautĆ© Louis Vuitton, the new beauty range will include 55 lipsticks, 10 lip balms, and 8 eye palettes. WWD

  • Fazit and e.l.f. Beauty collaborated on five SKUs ahead of March Madness. Theyā€™re currently only available online. Happi

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Fast-growing Bloom Nutrition is expanding into the better-for-you soda category with Bloom Pop. Bloomā€™s energy drink range debuted in July of 2024 and has since become one of the fastest-growing brands in the category. Bloom Pop will hit shelves at Walmart and other nationwide retailers by Labor Day. PR Newswire

  • TRUFF officially launched their hot sauce packets at Starbucks. From now until April 1st, TRUFF will be available upon request when you order a qualified hot breakfast item. Killer partnership for TRUFF. Instagram

  • Ithaca Hummus joined forces with Graza to launch an Olive Oil & Sea Salt Hummus. Iā€™ll be on the lookout for this at Expo West today. The Dieline

  • Drink mix brand Crystal Light launched an RTD cocktail range called Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers. Nearly one-in-five Crystal Light fans use the product as a mixer for their cocktails, so Kraft Heinz partnered with Barrel One Collective to launch a canned Crystal Light cocktail. Business Wire

  • YUMI, a leader in the baby & toddler snack category, launched a soft-baked breakfast bar line for the whole family. Each bar contains 0g of added sugar and is a good source of fiber. PR Newswire

  • Mark McCallum, the former President of Jack Danielā€™s, has joined the board of directors at Uncle Nearest as the company looks to become a global spirits leader. The Spirits Company

  • General Mills is shutting down G-Works, its internal venture studio, and will no longer make investments via 301 INC, its corporate venture arm. Moving forward General Mills will be focused on acquisitions and growth equity investments. Just Food

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Data šŸ–„ļø

  • Black Rifle Coffee had a rough Q4 with net revenue dipping 13% to $105.9M. Their net loss narrowed to $6.7M in the period, however. BevNET

Distribution News šŸšš