OLIPOP Valuation Exceeds $1.8B, Unilever Courts Wild 👀

Author

CPG WIRE
February 13, 2025

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

  • Pernod buys Inverroche Gin 🍸

  • Rarebird raises $1M, relocates ☕️

  • Floyd Mayweather launches brand 💊

  • Athletic Brewing x Live Nation 🍻

  • Recover 180 heads to Kroger 💧

Sick of using a million spreadsheets to track COGS and inventory? Settle unifies inventory, payments, and procurement into one easy-to-use platform so you can focus on what really matters — growth.

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Unilever is reportedly close to acquiring sustainable personal care brand Wild for around £230M. Founded in 2019 by Freddy Ward and Charlie Bowes-Lyon, Wild hit the market with a plastic-free deodorant range before expanding into a variety of other personal care categories. Awesome team and products. The Industry

  • Prima, a premium player in the CBD skincare and wellness categories, was acquired by Sky Marketing Corporation for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2015, Sky Marketing Corp is an Austin-based house of brands focused on hemp cannabinoid products. PR Newswire

  • Pernod Ricard acquired the remainder of Inverroche Gin, a South African craft gin producer that was founded in 2011. Pernod first invested in Inverroche Gin in 2019. Global Drinks Intel

  • Grove Collaborative purchased most of the assets affiliated with Grab Green, a pioneer in the eco-friendly household cleaning category. Business Wire

  • Bluestar Alliance, a fast-growing brand management firm, has acquired luxury streetwear brand Palm Angels for an undisclosed sum. Bluestar’s other recent acquisitions include Off-White and Scotch & Soda. PR Newswire

Fundraising

  • Better-for-you soda brand OLIPOP raised $50M in Series C funding at a valuation of $1.85B. The round was led by J.P. Morgan Growth Equity Partners. Now that J.P. Morgan is on the cap table, there’s speculation that OLIPOP could eventually go the IPO route. Drew Fallon wrote a great thread on possible outcomes on X. 2024 was a banner year for OLIPOP with revenue surpassing $400M and the company achieving profitability. CNBC

  • Rarebird, a producer of paraxanthine-infused coffee products, secured $1M in funding from 43North, a startup accelerator based in Buffalo, NY. Rarebird relocated its corporate headquarters to Buffalo earlier this year and will open a roasting facility there in the near future. If you want to learn more about Rarebird or paraxanthine, check out this Wired piece. PR Newswire

  • Lanch, a German startup that leverages social media and influencers to create food brands, raised $27M in a funding round co-led by Felix and HV Capital. So far Lanch has created three brands: Loco Chicken, Happy Slice Pizza, and a potato chip brand, Happy Chips. TechCrunch

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather launched a premium performance nutrition brand called One of One. Their debut offering includes whey protein powder, creatine monohydrate, pre-workout powder, and a number of other hydration and greens supplements. The brand was developed alongside Magnum Nutraceuticals and WME. The packaging is pretty sleek 👇 PR Newswire

  • Aesop opened a stunning new store at Victoria Leeds in Northern England. The three room store spans 753-square-feet and features their full fragrance, skincare, haircare, and bodycare range. The Industry

  • Muto Longevity is a new science-backed nutraceutical brand co-founded by Dr. Richie Barclay, a longevity scientist and Harley Street nutritionist. Muto’s debut product works to restore cellular vitality by boosting NAD+ and reducing cellular senescence. Muto Longevity

  • Haircare brand Act + Acre launched their new Clarifying Hard Water Collection. 85% of Americans live in hard water areas, and this new collection from Act + Acre helps combat some of the negative hair & scalp effects. Instagram

  • Augustinus Bader and La Bonne Brosse collaborated on a stunning electric blue hairbrush. Wallpaper*

  • Vacation launched an SPF 50 Invisible Face Gel called Crystal. Instagram

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • Athletic Brewing announced an exciting new partnership with Live Nation. Moving forward, Athletic Brewing will be available at over 100 live music venues across the U.S. like The Shoreline Amphitheatre and The Gorge Amphitheatre. The non-alc brewer will also be available at popular music festivals like Bonnaroo, BottleRock, and Two Step Inn. Super smart. PR Newswire

  • Hailee Steinfeld partnered with Mexico’s Premium Beers Group to launch Angel Margarita, a premium canned margarita brand. Joining Steinfeld as co-founders are Jordi Zindel and Rodrigo Hernandez. Angel Margarita is debuting with four SKUs: Lime, Grapefruit Paloma, Ranch Water, and Wild Berry. PR Newswire

  • BFY cereal brand Seven Sundays launched a new sorghum-based cereal range called Little Crispies. Three flavors are currently available: Cocoa Crunch, Cinnamon Toast, and Honey Almond. You can find Littles Crispies at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market. PR Newswire

  • Carbone Fine Food added five new pasta sauces to its lineup. The company sold more than 18 million jars last year. I didn’t realize that Eric Skae, the former CEO of Rao’s, is the CEO of Carbone Fine Food. LinkedIn

  • Modern Mexican soda brand De La Calle revealed their newest flavor, Mandarin Refresco. Another great-looking can from De La Calle. PR Newswire 

  • The newest product from Fishwife is Albacore Tuna with Spanish Lemon and it’s a beauty. Instagram

  • TUSOL is a new organic protein bar range that was developed by Christopher Kostow, a 3-star Michelin chef and the Executive Chef at Meadowood in Napa Valley. TUSOL is expected to launch in March. NOSH

Unlock Scale With Settle 📈

Are you struggling to track product costs, forecast demand, and manage inventory effectively?

Settle unifies inventory, payments, and procurement into one platform, giving CPG brands clarity on COGS and margins. With integrated financing, end-of-month inventory reports, and demand forecasting tools, you can make smarter decisions to scale your business sustainably.

And it’s working. Flakes used Settle to reduce their COGS by 60% — unlocking new opportunities for growth.

But don’t just take our word for it. HigherDose shared:


"For all retailers, cash and inventory are synonymous. Bank balances affirm our cash position. Warehouse reports affirm our inventory counts. Only Settle’s functionality consolidates insight into the more elusive aspects, such as inventory deposits, three-way matching and changes in landed costs."

Trusted by leading brands like Arrae, Dagne Dover, Pat McGrath, and Homecourt, Settle simplifies back office operations so you can focus on growth.

Learn more about Settle here by starting a free trial or booking a demo.

Data 🖥️

  • According to Circana, prestige beauty sales outpaced the mass beauty category with 7% growth in 2024. WWD

  • French luxury goods firm Kering posted a 12% decline in Q4 sales. Gucci sales dropped 24% during the period. CNBC

Distribution News 🚚