Tilray Acquires BrewDog, Mezcla Grabs $9.5M 🍫

Author

CPG WIRE
March 03, 2026

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

  • RIND merges with four others 🍍

  • Future Château raises ÂŁ700K 🍷

  • Amika expands into body care đź‘€

  • Bachan’s x SPAM collab 🔥

  • Bulletproof bets on creatine đź’Ş 

If you’re at Expo West and want to link up, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Deals đź’°

Mergers & Acquisitions 

  • Cannabis & craft beer specialist Tilray Brands is acquiring select BrewDog assets for ÂŁ33M. Tilray will now own BrewDog’s IP, UK brewing operations, along with 11 pubs in the UK and Ireland. BrewDog was once valued at ÂŁ2B so this is quite a fall from grace. Tilray has been gobbling up craft beer brands at steep discounts and turning them around. The Guardian

  • RIND Snacks is merging with four other companies to form Keep It REAL Foods, a national manufacturing platform focused on better-for-you breakfast foods like granola, oatmeal, and functional snacks. In addition to RIND Snacks, Keep It REAL Foods consists of Oakhouse Bakery, MaGi Foods, Small Batch Organics, and Whirlybird Granola. The new manufacturing platform is backed by CIC Partners, a middle-market PE firm. PR Newswire

  • Blue Monkey Beverages has acquired Local Weather, a celebrity-backed RTD hydration brand, as it aims to build a functional beverage platform. Blue Monkey is best known for its fruit-forward beverage portfolio which includes sparkling juices and flavored coconut waters. The company is backed by Boyne Capital and Fifth Ocean Capital who co-invested in February 2025. Food Processing

Fundraising

  • Plant-based protein bar brand Mezcla closed a $9.5M Series B round led by Bluestein Ventures. Redwood Capital Partners (FKA Santatera Capital) and Lever VC also participated in the round. Mezcla was founded in 2019 and now retails at Costco, Target, Publix, Sprouts, and Whole Foods Market. Nosh 

  • Craft whiskey producer Still Austin secured $20M in working capital from Ferovinum after surpassing 100,000 cases in 2025. The grain-to-glass whiskey maker will use the capital to increase production and expand barrel inventory. Founded in 2015 and led by CEO Chris Seals, Still Austin’s case depletions increased 45% year-over-year in 2025. The Spirits Business

  • Future Château, a London-based purveyor of premium low-alc wines, closed a ÂŁ700K pre-seed round. Anotherway Ventures and a number of strategic angel investors participated in the round. Future Château was founded by Tom Benn who helped build Naked Wines, Pip & Nut, Freja, and Milliways. Instagram

  • According to an SEC filing, Fancypants Baking Co. secured $750K in debt financing. The Massachusetts-based cookie manufacturer has been on a roll and recently secured distribution at H-E-B, Costco, Kroger, Hannaford, and a number of regional chains. SEC

  • UK-based healthy beverage brand VITAL Drinks secured ÂŁ1M in funding to accelerate retail growth and expand into foodservice. The company’s beverage portfolio includes energy, hydration, and gut health drinks. Harry Kane backed the company in 2025. The Grocer

Drive Shoppers From Screen To Shelf With Minisocial đź›’

Securing retail distribution is a huge win, but driving velocity is the real challenge. minisocial helps you bridge the gap between digital awareness and in-store sales. It’s already trusted by retail favorites like Bero, MadeGood, Halfday Iced Tea, Lundberg, and many more.

Here’s how it works:

đź“Ť Hyper-Local Influence: We match you with creators local to your specific retailers (Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Pop Up Grocer, etc.) to produce content and share it with their own local audience.

🚀 Power Your Paid Media: Leverage whitelisting access to run creator content as ads. Target specific zip codes around your retailers to drive even more foot traffic. Plus you're safe to use the content across ALL of your owned channels, forever! 

đź’Ż High-Quality Creators = High-Quality Results: minisocial is not an open database for just anyone. Each creator is hand-picked for each project from our pre-vetted database. We only work with creators who have a track record of producing high-quality content and the engagement to prove it. 

The best part? minisocial is a project-based service. Just pay per project you choose to spin up, no longterm commitments. Although once you do a minisocial campaign it's hard to go without!

Book a call with Kirsten or see more here. Mention CPG Wire and save 15% on your first campaign.

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

  • Amika, the haircare brand that was on pace to hit $250M in revenue last year, is expanding into body care with three SKUs. Their body care collection includes a body wash, whipped body butter, and a vitamin C-infused body oil. WWD

  • Creator-led skincare brand Personal Day released a new product, Soft Slip Priming Milk, late last week. The lightweight priming essence is available via their website and nationwide at Ulta Beauty. Instagram

  • Inertia, a South Korean menstrual care brand and a top performer at Olive Young, is launching in the U.S. with its microplastic-free Prism Pad line. Inertia was founded in 2021 and has sold more than 10 million pads. Beauty Independent

  • Recently acquired fragrance brand PHLUR just released one of its bestselling scents in deodorant form. PHLUR’s Rose Whip Deodorant is free from toxic ingredients and offers 48-hour protection. Instagram 

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

  • SPAM and Bachan’s joined forces on a limited-edition flavor. The co-branded SPAM Japanese BBQ Sauce flavor will be available exclusively at Walmart starting on March 7th. Instagram

  • PepsiCo is officially launching Poppi in the UK. Starting this month, five Poppi flavors will be available at Tesco and Pret A Manger. Poppi will be produced and distributed locally by Carlsberg Britvic. Instagram

  • Tem Toa is a new frozen food brand focused on Thai cuisine. The brand was created by the team at Deep Indian Kitchen, a leading player in the frozen Indian food category. Tem Toa will launch at Expo West with several Thai staples like Green Curry, Red Curry, and Pad Thai. LinkedIn

  • Bulletproof expanded its Enhanced Coffee range with Coffee + Creatine. The first-of-its-kind functional coffee product combines toxin-tested Arabica beans, 5g of creatine monohydrate, and 250mg of electrolytes. Instagram

  • Jack Link’s is betting on clean ingredients with a full range of sticks and beef slices made with just three ingredients. The new offering will hit shelves nationwide this spring. PR Newswire

  • Kroger-backed private equity firm MPearlRock has added Mark Ramadan, Bill Toler, and Bob Ostryniec as Operating Advisors. Ramadan co-founded Sir Kensington’s, Toler served as the CEO of Hostess Brands, and Ostryniec was Global Chief Supply Chain Officer at Heinz. MPearlRock made a splash in January by acquiring The Good Crisp Company. Business Wire

  • RAW Nutrition launched its protein bar range with four candy-inspired flavors like Peanut Butter Fudge and Salted Caramel Pretzel. Each bar contains 18-21g of protein and only 1-5g of added sugar. Business Wire

  • GHOST is getting back into the RTD protein shake biz with a co-branded Yoo-hoo flavor. The branding is phenomenal and each 11 oz sleek can delivers 25g of protein and 110 calories. Stack3d

  • Happy Dad named former BeatBox exec Erick Holloway as Chief Sales Officer. Holloway helped scale BeatBox into a nationwide powerhouse prior to joining Happy Dad, culminating in a $490M acquisition by Anheuser-Busch in December. Happy Dad

Data 🖥️

  • Vital Farms (NASDAQ: VITL) reported FY results last week. Net revenue in the period jumped 25.3% to over $759M and the company maintained its 37% gross margin profile. Net income came in at $66.3M, up from $53.4M in 2024. Vital Farms

Distribution News đźšš