Sazerac Bets on RTD Margaritas, Roxberry Raises $4M 🥤

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

• Harken Sweets adds investors 🍫

• S2G raises another billion 💰

• OLIPOP collabs with Space Camp 🚀

• Graza doubles down on snacks 🥔

• Lifeway crushes Q1 🥛

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Sazerac acquired a minority stake in canned margarita brand SIPMARGS. The two companies also agreed to an exclusive distribution partnership in the U.S. SIPMARGS relaunched in March 2025 with $3M from Palm Tree Crew, Alix Earle, Michael Rubin, Steve Aoki, and several others. Sazerac took a minority equity stake in Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila at the end of April. Instagram

Fundraising

• Better-for-you candy brand Harken Sweets added Taste Tomororw Ventures and grt sht ventures to its cap table. Harken Sweets is gearing up to launch at Costco Northwest next week and will be in 7500+ doors by end of year. Previous investors include Selva Ventures and Melitas Ventures. LinkedIn

• Roxberry, a modern soda brand designed specifically for kids, closed a $4M funding round. Investors weren’t disclosed but Habitat Partners is a previous backer. Roxberry has been on a roll in 2026 and launched at Kroger, H-E-B, Meijer, and 2,200+ Walmart stores. Andy Sauer, the CEO of Garage Beer, is a co-founder of Roxberry. PR Newswire

• Oishii, a Jersey City-based producer of vertically farmed (and expensive) strawberries, announced the first close of its $150M Series C round. Investors include SPARX Asset Management, Nomura Real Estate Development, MISUMI Group, and others. Oishii has raised a total of $370M since launching in 2016. PR Newswire

• S2G Investments secured $1B for Solutions Fund I. The firm intends to back growth stage startups in Europe and North America across food, agriculture, and energy. Previous investments include 80 Acres Farms, Apeel Sciences, Atomo Coffee, and Bettani Farms. Business Wire

• London-based haircare company Ruka closed a $4.5M funding round led by Henkel Ventures and Freedom Trail Capital. Founded by Tendai Moyo and Ugo Agbai, Ruka produces alternative hair extensions that are made with lab-grown fibers. The company also offers styling products, hair fragrances, and tools + accessories. The Industry

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• OLIPOP collaborated with Space Camp on a soda-inspired lip balm collection. The collection features four flavors: Cream Soda, Vintage Cola, Shirley Temple, and Crisp Apple. The items are available online and in-store at Target. Instagram

• It appears that Lemme and Starface are collaborating on something in the near future. The teaser video features Kourtney Kardashian, Alabama Parker, and Lemme CEO Simon Huck. This ought to be fun. Instagram

• LA icon Jon & Vinny’s collaborated with Le Monde Gourmand on a tomato-inspired perfume and candle collection. The limited-edition items are available exclusively on Le Monde Gourmand’s website. Instagram

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Graza just unveiled its revamped potato chip range as the company doubles down on snacks. Graza upgraded the packaging and added several new flavors like Zesty Caesar, Sea Salt & Vinegar, and Hot ‘N Sweet. The chips are cooked in 100% extra virgin olive oil and are available online and in-store at Target. Graza leveraging its brand equity to expand into categories with better velocities is a smart play. Instagram

• DJ and influencer Sommer Ray just launched Tempted, a spiked shirley temple brand. The company launched yesterday with a Dirty Shirley that’s 7% ABV and only contains 4g of sugar. Tempted is currently available via Gopuff, ShopRite, and independent liquor stores. In March, Sazerac acquired Dirty Shirley for an undisclosed sum. Tempted

• Fast-growing sunflower seed brand SMACKIN’ collaborated with Alex Rodriguez on a Honey BBQ flavor. The new flavor is available exclusively via SMACKIN’s website. Instagram

• Whole Foods Market is expanding its smaller format store concept — dubbed Daily Shop — to Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The original Whole Foods Daily Shop outpost opened in New York City in 2024, and they opened another in London last April. Business Wire

• Mission Craft Cocktails unveiled its newest ready-to-serve cocktail: Tamarind Margarita. The beverage combines tequila with orange liqueur, lime, watermelon, tamarind, agave nectar, and chili. PR Newswire

• Austin-based Bawi Agua Fresca hired Eric Perkins as its Chief Commercial Officer. Perkins spent several years at Sysco and Kraft Heinz prior to joining Bawi. LinkedIn

Data 🖥️

• Chicago-based Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY) had a spectacular first quarter. Q1 net sales hit $63M, a year-over-year increase of 36.7%. Gross margin also improved by 360 basis points and the company’s net income jumped 32% to $4.7M. Lifeway attributed its success in the quarter to strong consumer trends, including gut health and probiotic foods. BevNET

• Good Boy Vodka is now the #10 RTD cocktail brand in the U.S. thanks to 300% year-over-year growth in tracked channels. Good Boy Vodka was previously ranked #31 in RTDs. Instagram

Distribution News 🚚

• Bawi launched its 4-packs at H-E-B.

• B.T.R. Nation rolled out at Hy-Vee.

• Mochidoki launched at Big Y.

• Zahav Hummus launched at Giant stores in PA.

• BRĒZ launched its non-infused line at Walmart.

• Jubilee’s launched at Sprouts Farmers Market.