Habiza Bags $2.5M, Sazerac Buys Dirty Shirley 🍒

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CPG WIRE
March 21, 2026

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

  • McCormick explores mega deal 🍔

  • Laoban secures $7.2M 🥢

  • Glossier plans to shutter stores 💄

  • Stone & Skillet unveils new look 😍

  • Laundry Sauce lands at Target 🎯

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Sazerac Company is acquiring RTD cocktail brand Dirty Shirley for an undisclosed sum. Best known for their spiked shirley temples and irreverent market, Dirty Shirley hit an inflection point in 2024 when sales surged 934% YoY. While most spirits companies have been quiet on the M&A front, Sazerac has acquired several assets like SVEDKA Vodka, BuzzBallz, and Western Son. PR Newswire

  • Unilever and McCormick are engaged in discussions regarding a potential strategic transaction. If a deal were to proceed, Unilever would carve out its food division and merge it with McCormick. The combined company would be worth tens of billions and home to brands like Hellmann’s, Knorr, Cholula, Frank’s Red Hot, and French’s. The transaction would enable Unilever to focus on its more lucrative beauty, personal care, and wellness brands. WSJ

  • Valeo Foods Group, an Irish food manufacturer with nearly €2B of revenue, has acquired 100% of Prestige-96, a leading manufacturer of sweet baked goods in Bulgaria. Prestige-96 is Valeo Food Group’s eighth acquisition since 2022. Business Wire

  • UK-based spirits company Babco International has acquired Tom Savano Cocktails, a London-based purveyor of bar-quality canned cocktails. Babco owns several premium spirits brands like Neptune Rum, Horse Guards London Dry Gin, and Sollasa. Tom Savano is Babco’s first pure-play RTD brand. The Spirits Business

Fundraising

  • Fast-growing hummus brand Habiza closed a $2.5M seed round co-led by Supernatural Ventures and Vanquish Equity. Several angel investors like Sean Rad, Elliot Tebele, Ben Kaplan, Mike McGuiness, and Jake Fleshner also participated in the round. Full Disclosure: I pulled together an SPV for Habiza and participated in the round. Habiza is the #1 hummus brand at Erewhon and also retails Albertsons, Target, and Giant. Instagram

  • According to a report from Nosh, Laoban secured $7.2M in fresh equity funding. Founded in 2017 by Tim Ma and Patrick Coyne, Laoban was originally a restaurant in Washington D.C. before pivoting into packaged foods (much like Little Sesame, also from Washington D.C.). Nosh 

  • Good Girl Snacks, the parent company of viral pickle brand Hot Girl Pickles, closed a $3M seed round co-led by Strand Equity and RiverPark Ventures. Nucleus Ventures, Collaborative Fund, and a variety of angel investors also participated in the round. Hot Girl Pickles is reportedly #1 in the category at Erewhon and also retails at H-E-B, Gopuff, and Whole Foods Market. LinkedIn

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Under the leadership of new CEO Colin Walsh, Glossier will close nine of its twelve retail stores. Glosser’s flagship stores in London, New York, and Los Angeles will remain open, however. The beauty company also plans on slashing its SKU count as it focuses more on hero products. Business of Fashion

  • Orebella, the clean fragrance brand that Bella Hadid launched in 2024, released a limited-edition scent for spring called Jasmine Blues. The new scent retails for $100 and is available via their website. Jasmine Blues will also debut at Ulta Beauty in April. Hypebae

  • Influencer Alix Earle has been directing traffic to a new Instagram page: @wtfisalixdoing. It’s unclear what she’s launching but skincare or personal care are both good bets. Earle is no stranger to consumer goods as she’s already backed Poppi, SipMARGS, and GORGIE. Instagram

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Stone & Skillet, a Boston-based purveyor of artisanal English muffins, just revealed a vibrant brand refresh. They added a ton of color along with a bolder typeface. The skillet illustration is a really nice touch, too. Instagram

  • Fly By Jing expanded its noodle range with two new flavors: Roasted Garlic and Creamy Sesame. The new items are available via their website and nationwide at Whole Foods Market. Twitter

  • Diageo continues to bet on convenience with Casamigos. After launching a canned margarita line last summer, Casamigos just released a ready-to-serve cocktail line with two flavors: Classic Lime & Spicy. Trend Hunter

  • Paco Jones is a new Mexican-inspired condiment brand launching in June. Paco Jones will debut with two products: Mexican Ketchup and Mexican Barbecue Sauce. The branding is legit. Excited to try it. Instagram

  • Dirty Pop is another new player in the protein soda category. Each can contains 15g of plant-based protein and only 80 calories. It looks like they’re debuting with three flavors: Shirley Temple, Retro Cola, and Yuzu Ginger. Dirty Pop

  • Fruit Riot dropped a limited-edition Sour Patch Kids SKU exclusively at Target. Fruit Riot has been crushing the licensing game lately. Prior to Sour Patch Kids, the company partnered with OLIPOP, WARHEADS, and SpongeBob SquarePants. Twitter

  • Athletic Brewing released a limited-edition brew with Arsenal Football Club. Dubbed Clock End, the brew is available across the UK and at every bar in Emirates Stadium. LinkedIn

Data 🖥️

  • DryWater is rolling. The clean hydration brand will add 41,000 new retail doors this year and the company expects to surpass $100M in sales. New retail partners include Target, Kroger, and CVS. Instagram

  • According to a report from SPINS, there are more than 15,000 beverage brands with less than $1M in sales in the U.S. LinkedIn

Distribution News 🚚