SuperOrdinary Scores Big Round 📈

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

• SuperOrdinary raises $58M 📈

• Pernod weighs Becherovka sale 🍾

• Anima Mundi buys brand 🌿

• Maesa unveils incubator cohort 💄

• Nespresso x Blue Bottle ☕️

Shout-out to our partner AdQuick, the best in the OOH media biz.

The Big Story 📰

SuperOrdinary, a growth partner that’s best known for helping Western beauty brands break into the Chinese market, closed a $58M round at an impressive $800M valuation. Participants in the round include Manzanita Capital, Alliance Consumer Growth, Upper90, and Spanish beauty firm Puig.

Though started solely as a global growth partner for brands like Biossance, Farmacy, and Olaplex, SuperOrdinary now offers Amazon seller management services, creator partnerships, and even incubates their own beauty brands.

After a series of acquisitions, SuperOrdinary has been growing fast. Over the past year revenue has grown 30% year-over-year, and next year the company expects revenue to surge 50% to $350M.

This is largely driven by their creator arm which has grown 12x since acquiring Fanfix in 2022. In addition to Fanfix — a service similar to Patreon that helps creators monetize their audiences via subscriptions — SuperOrdinary also connects brands and creators via their marketplace. Per the company, 92% of consumers trust creator recommendations versus digital ads or celebrity endorsements, and they’re very good at matching brands and creators.

SuperOrdinary has hit a number of other milestones lately, too. Last year they made their first brand acquisition in celebrity skincare brand, Joanna Vargas, and in 2021 they incubated and launched their first cosmetics brand, Lula.

More info on the fundraise from TechCrunch.

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Pernod Ricard is considering a sale of Czech liqueur brand Becherovka which could fetch as much as $300M. Pernod has owned Becherovka since 1997. While Pernod has been very acquisitive lately — they’ve purchased Codigo 1530 Tequila, Skrewball Whiskey, Ace Beverage Group, and upped its stake in Sovereign Brands — they’ve also streamlined their portfolio by divesting brands like Clan Campbell and Tormore. Bloomberg

• Brooklyn-based herbal wellness brand Anima Mundi has acquired essential oils brand Floracopeia for an undisclosed sum. Floracopeia was founded by David Crow in 2004. Beauty Independent 

• Italian technical sportswear manufacturer MVC Group has purchased a 70% stake in Zoot, a designer and manufacturer of clothing and accessories for triathletes. San Diego-based Zoot expects to finish 2023 with revenue of $10M and EBITDA of $3M. MVC Group

• Hard kombucha and canned cocktail brand JuneShine is reportedly exploring a sale. A deal could value the company at $100M. The company was founded in 2018 and expects to generate around $40M of revenue this year. Reuters

• Popular Redmond-based craft brewery Mac & Jack’s was acquired by Ackley Brands for an undisclosed sum. Ackley Brands owns and operates four wine brands across Washington and Oregon. Seattle Times

Fundraising

• Luxury fragrance and body care brand Ellis Brooklyn closed a $9M funding round led by REDO Ventures. The company was founded in 2015 by New York Times beauty columnist Bee Shapiro and is known for their clean formulas and sustainable sourcing methods. WWD

• Jewelry brand D. Louise secured funding from former Gymshark CEO Steve Hewitt. Details are scarce but the brand has sold more than 350,000 pieces since launching in 2021. The Industry

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Luxury lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate collaborated with Beni Rugs on a gorgeous collection of rugs. Terrific product photography, too. Beni

• Heyday, a provider of facials and skincare services with nearly 30 locations across the United States, launched their very own professional product line ⬇️ BeautyMatter

• Maesa, the beauty incubator that created Frenshe, Kristin Ess Hair, Hairitage, and many others, unveiled the three brands participating in its Maesa Magic Incubator. The winners include House of Foster (fragrance), Fuzz Clinic (hair removal), and Squigs Beauty (skincare). Participating brands receive funding, hands-on education, and mentorship from industry veterans. Happi 

• LOEWE and On collaborated on a new lifestyle shoe that comes in seven different colorways. I kinda like ‘em. The collection drops on October 11th ⬇️ Highsnobiety

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Plant-based nutrition brand Koia launched three new cereal-inspired flavors. Very fun packaging ⬇️ PRWeb

• Austin-based spirits company Milestone Brands introduced a new flavored whiskey brand called Dirty Monkey Banana Peanut Butter Whiskey. Fun label and bottle. Milestone Brands also owns Dulce Vida Tequila and premium gin brand Empress 1908. PR Newswire 

• Never thought this day would come but Nespresso and Blue Bottle collaborated on a new capsule coffee called Blend No. 1. Best-looking Nespresso pods I’ve encountered. Modern Retail

• TCHO partnered with Equator Coffee to release a Dirty Chai chocolate bar. TCHO has been killing it with their small batch collabs lately ⬇️ Instagram

• The brand refresh for Indian-inspired sparkling beverage brand Bollygood looks really good. Boulder-based Faven Creative facilitated the rebrand. Twitter

Data 🖥️

• Nestle’s share price hit a two-year low based on fears that Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug would reduce sales of Kit Kat and Haagen-Dasz over time. Reuters

Distribution News 🚚

• Superfood jam brand Chia Smash launched at Target.

• Low-sugar chocolate brand UNREAL is now available on United Airlines.