InvestBev Backs Lucky, Beautycounter Returns 💄

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

  • Huda Kattan buys stake from TSG 👀

  • D&G lines up debt for beauty growth 💰

  • Tylenol expands into supplements 💊

  • Mark Samuel unveils new brand 🥑

  • Campbell’s delivers solid Q3 🥫

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Swander Pace Capital has acquired Maple Donuts, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of frozen baked goods. Partners Capital and Constitution Capital Partners served as lead co-investors on the deal. Founded in 1946, Maple Donuts has become a significant independent producer of private label donuts in the retail and foodservice channels. Business Wire

  • Huda Kattan has bought out TSG Consumer Partners and regained full control of Huda Beauty. TSG originally acquired a minority stake in Huda Beauty at a $1.2B valuation in 2017. PR Newswire

  • Wisconsin-based Sartori Cheese has acquired Rumiano Cheese, a California-based producer of organic cheese and butter products. The strategic acquisition brings together two heritage players in the craft cheese space. PR Newswire

Fundraising

  • Beverage-focused private equity firm InvestBev announced a six-figure investment in Lucky Energy. Founded in 2023 by Richard Laver, Lucky Energy has now raised more than $40M in funding. Their retail partners include Albertsons, 7-Eleven, Circle-K, and a handful of other chains. PR Newswire

  • Dolce & Gabbana secured $170M in debt financing to expand its beauty division. The company is targeting €1B in beauty sales by 2027. Business of Fashion 

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New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Beautycounter is returning to market after Gregg Renfrew acquired the beauty brand out of bankruptcy last year. Founded by Renfrew in 2013, the multi-level marketing firm was acquired by The Carlyle Group at a $1B valuation in 2021. The brand will relaunch on June 25th as Counter. Business of Fashion

  • Fast-growing beauty brand Fazit partnered with American singer Laila! to launch a new product called Supernova Speckles. Instagram

  • Tylenol, the top-selling pain relief brand in the U.S., is expanding into the supplements space with its Proactive Support line. Their debut supplement products are Muscle & Joint as well as Muscle & Joint + Stress. Tylenol Proactive Support will be available at Amazon, CVS, and Walmart. PR Newswire

  • Australia’s tbh skincare is releasing a new body spritz today. The new product is formulated to reduce body breakouts from the chest down. Instagram 

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Mark Samuel, one of the co-founders of IWON Organics, is launching a clean salty snack brand called Mark’s Snacks. Mark’s Snacks will debut with a line of potato chips that are made with avocado oil. The chips are also non-GMO and gluten-free. NOSH

  • BERO, the premium non-alc beer brand co-founded by Tom Holland, released its first new brew since launching in October of ‘24. The new brew is called Double Tasty and it’s a West Coast Style IPA. Double Tasty will hit shelves at Target before expanding to Sprouts, Bevmo, Total Wine, and other retailers. PR Newswire

  • Energy drink brand GORGIE just launched a new flavor, Pink Lemonade, exclusively at nearly 2,000 Target stores. PR Newswire

  • Kif Kefir Water has repositioned itself as Kif Nature’s Soda. The company also partnered with Boredom Kills Creative to refresh their branding. The updated branding is far more legible and it’s now easier to delineate between flavors. The new look also ought to appeal to more consumers outside of the natural channel. Instagram

  • Performance nutrition brand Bulletproof just rebranded its coffee portfolio. The company is leaving its biohacking roots behind and repositioning its coffee products as simple and accessible. Not sure how I feel about companies rebranding certain lines but not the entire portfolio…PR Newswire

  • Clean snack brand French Squirrel is launching version 2.0 of their Berets line. They improved the taste, increased the shelf life, and maintained their clean ingredients promise. Excited to try ‘em. LinkedIn

  • Casa Azul, the fast-growing tequila brand founded by serial beverage entrepreneur Lance Collins, is moving production to La Roca as it seeks higher quality, precision tequila making. The Spirits Business 

  • You can now find Pop-Tarts in the frozen aisle thanks to a partnership between Kellanova and Golden West Food Group. According to Delish, the new line is pretty good. Twitter

Data 🖥️

  • The Campbell’s Company had a solid Q3 with net sales rising 4% YoY to $2.5B. Campbell’s Snack Division suffered — net sales dipped 8% in the quarter — but their Meals & Beverages division thrived with sales jumping 15%. The jump was largely attributable to Rao’s and Campbell’s $2.7B acquisition of Sovos Brands. Reuters

Distribution News 🚚