Once Upon a Farm Preps IPO 📈

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

• Seven Sundays buys MFG 🥣

• Chickapea raises $4.5M CAD 🍝

• Aritzia collabs with Salt & Stone 💯

• Uncrustables ups the protein 💪

• Joyride continues to cook at Target 🍭

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Fast-growing children’s nutrition platform Once Upon a Farm officially filed its IPO paperwork with the SEC. The company’s LTM net sales as of June 30, 2025 were $202M, up from $94M in 2023. We don’t know exactly when Once Upon a Farm will list on the NYSE, but we know it will trade under the ticker “OFRM.” The biggest beneficiary of the IPO besides the co-founders? Unsurprisingly, it’s CAVU Consumer Partners. Twitter

• Better-for-you cereal brand Seven Sundays has acquired Chippewa Packaging, one of its longtime manufacturing partners. Chippewa has been blending, packing, and kitting various Seven Sundays products for over a decade. Mike Steele, the founder of Chippewa Packaging, and 50 employees have joined the Seven Sundays team. Seven Sundays started selling at a Minneapolis farmers market in 2011 but now retails at Costco, Kroger, Walmart, and Target. LinkedIn

Fundraising

• Chickapea, a leading high-protein pasta brand in Canada, closed a $4.25M CAD funding round. AGT Foods, a global supplier of pulses, led the round while FCC Capital also participated. Shelby Taylor founded Chickapea in 2015 and the brand has experienced velocity increases of 25-50% across retail channels in North America this year. Business Wire

• According to a LinkedIn post, NBA legend Russell Westbook has joined functional beverage brand Don’t Quit as an investor. Don’t Quit is a protein beverage play that’s backed by L Catterton, L.A. Libations, Sweetwater Private Equity, and others. The company offers protein sodas and RTD protein shakes. LinkedIn

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Augustinus Bader continues to expand its retail footprint. The unicorn skincare company just opened its largest branded spa to date at Hôtel Costes in Paris. The 10,000-square-foot space offers seven treatment rooms and a number of science-backed treatments. WWD

• Aeston West is a new performance skincare brand that’s launching on Wednesday, October 8th. The brand aims to combine science and sculpture with its bold packaging and clinically-backed formulas. Blank Space Design Studio handled the product design and packaging. Beauty Independent

• Aritzia partnered with Salt & Stone on a range of Lily & Yuzu scented personal care products. The collection drops on October 2nd and includes a body mist, body wash, and deodorant. New Beauty

• Bloom is going after Grüns with their newest product: Supergreens Gummies. The new line is available exclusively on Amazon and TikTok Shop. Stack3d

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• J.M. Smucker received the protein memo and launched a higher protein version of Uncrustables. Each sandwich contains 12g of protein and two flavors are available: Up & Apple and Bright-Eyed Berry. The new line is rolling out at Kroger, Walmart, and Target in the coming weeks. PR Newswire

• Waterloo Gin, the Texas-based craft gin distillery that John Paul DeJoria acquired last year, just released a new flavored gin: Prickly Pear & Rose. The updated label and bottle look pretty good too. BevNET

• Taco Bell and Salt & Straw collaborated on a frozen treat called The Tacolate. The fresh take on the iconic Choco Taco features cinnamon ancho chili ice cream in an enrobed waffle cone taco shell. The new item will be available at Salt & Straw locations and online starting on October 3rd. Nation’s Restaurant News

• Bizzy Organic Cold Brew dropped three Double Espresso Shot SKUs. The 2 oz shots contain 100mg of caffeine and are available at Erewhon and Sprouts. Instagram

• Float House is a beverage brand at the intersection of two explosive categories: non-alc beer and THC. The company currently offers two products — THC Lite and THC IPA — which contain 3mg of THC, 6mg of CBD, and 0.5% alcohol. Hats off to them on the fun branding. Float House

• Speaking of non-alc beer…Patagonia Provisions expanded its beer offering with a non-alcoholic organic IPA. Instagram

• Adaptogenic tea brand Juni released a limited-edition flavor, Lemonade Iced Tea. The new flavor is an online exclusive while supplies last. BevNET

• Moroccan extra virgin olive oil brand Moresh launched a premium ceramic bottle exclusively at Whole Foods Market. PR Newswire

Data 🖥️

• Joyride is now the top-selling non-chocolate candy brand at Target. This is a particularly impressive feat given that Joyride has only been retailing at Target for around 15 months. Joyride eclipsed icons like Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, and Starburst to grab the top spot. Super impressive. LinkedIn

• Alani Nu and Celsius continue to dominate after the latter purchased the former for $1.8B in April. For the 4-week period ending on September 6th, Celsius volume grew 40.5% while Alani Nu’s volume surged 127%. Twitter

Distribution News 🚚

• BRĒZ launched two SKUs at Circle K in Florida.

• Javvy is launching two lines nationwide at Sprouts.

• UK-based TRIP is now available at Wegmans.

• Creatine brand Create launched nationwide at Sprouts.

• Algae Cooking Club launched at select Target stores.

• B.T.R. Nation launched at SunLife Orangics.

• Pretty Tasty Tea launched at select Raley’s stores.