Uncle Arnie's Bags $7.5M, Olyra Rebrands 🔥

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

• Better Nature raises £1.1M 💰

• Ouai launches deodorant line 🆕

• Cadence bets on hydration + energy ⚡️

• Danone goes after GLP-1 users 🥛

• DryWater launches at Walgreens 💧

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Louisiana-based chocolate maker Elmer Chocolate sold a majority stake to the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a family-owned investment firm. Elmer Chocolate was founded in 1855 and annual revenue is reportedly around $100M. Just Food 

Fundraising

• Uncle Arnie’s, a California-based leader in the THC beverage category, secured $7.5M in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Mindset Capital and Delta Emerald Ventures, with participation from Harry Rubin, a founding partner of the Boston Beer Company. Uncle Arnie’s is currently active in 16 markets and will expand to 3 more in the near future. Ave Miller and Theo Terris launched the beverage brand in 2020. According to Euromonitor, THC beverage sales are expected to top $1B this year and will hit $4B by the end of 2028. Business Wire

• Better Nature, a UK-based purveyor of high-protein, gut-friendly tempeh products, raised £1.1M to accelerate growth. The vast majority of the funding came from existing investors and new angel investors. Better Nature launched in 2020 and now retails at Asda, Tesco, Planet Organic, and Whole Foods Market. Vegconomist

• UK-based activewear brand Adanola secured a minority growth investment from STORY3 Capital Partners. Founded in 2015 by Hyrum Cook, Adanola did north of $100M in sales last year and is now valued at $530M. PR Newswire

• Another activewear brand, Ten Thousand, secured another more growth funding from Forza Capital. Forza Capital first backed Ten Thousand in the summer of 2022 when the brand raised $21.5M in Series A funding. Business Wire

How Consumer Testing is Helping Bring This Climate-Friendly Super Grain to Pantries Everywhere 🌍

Fonio may be new to you and me. But to millions of people across Africa’s Sahel region, this “ancient grain” has been a part of daily life for thousands of years.

Now, Yolélé is bringing this climate-friendly, nutrient-dense ingredient to pantries across America. But first, they needed to know: what do fonio’s future consumers want?

🤔 Would consumers be open to fonio cheese puffs?

🍫 How would shoppers react to a chocolate bar made with fonio?

🥛 Are consumers skeptical or excited about fonio-based milk?

To get the answers they needed, Yolélé asked consumers using concept testing by the Highlight product intelligence platform.

Now Yolélé has the data they need to move forward with manufacturer conversations and new product development.

Wondering what your consumers think of your ideas? Identify winners before investing a cent in prototyping with concept testing by Highlight.

Request a demo to see how quick and easy concept testing can be.

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Being Frenshe, the beauty & wellness brand founded by Ashley Tisdale and Maesa, is expanding into lip care with a Nouishing Lip Mask and a Restoring Lip Balm. Both products come in a number of different scents and will retail exclusively at Target. WWD

• Ouai, the prestige haircare brand that P&G acquired in late 2021, is pushing further into personal care with a new line of deodorants. Three scents are available: St. Barts, Melrose Place, and Cape Town. Instagram

• Nécessaire launched The Rosemary Serum which is an advanced leave-in serum for daily use. The product is formulated with 70% Rosemary Water and Capixyl, an anti-thinning agent. A 30-day supply retails for $48. Instagram

• Pour Tous is a new skincare brand designed for Gen Alpha and Gen Z. The dermatologist-tested skincare products are available for purchase on Amazon and via the brand’s website. PR Newswire

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Fast-growing snack brand Olyra just unveiled an excellent brand refresh. They upgraded the logotype, added a color-coded flavor system, improved the product photography, and added some playful illustrations that reinforce the brand’s Greek heritage. More great work from the folks at Interact Brands. LinkedIn

• Performance nutrition brand Cadence is launching an RTD hydration + energy beverage soon. The product is formulated with various electrolytes, 120mg of caffeine, and zero sugar. Bullish on this line. Twitter

• Happy Coffee unveiled two new RTD cold brew flavors: Tahitian Vanilla and Salted Caramel. The new flavors are available at Costco throughout Texas. Instagram

• Danone is launching a yogurt beverage for GLP-1 users under its Oikos Greek Yogurt banner. Dubbed Oikos Fusion, the new line contains 23g of protein, 5g of prebiotic fiber, and a number of key vitamins. Three flavors are available: Strawberry, Mixed Berry, and Vanilla. The beverage is designed to support muscle maintenance and digestive health, tailored specifically for those on weight loss drugs. PR Newswire

• Feastables just dropped its newest chocolate product: Creamy Chocolate Hazelnut Cups. The new SKU is available for a limited time at Albertsons, Circle K, and Five Below. Instagram

• Journalist and cookbook author Clarissa Wei is launching a single-origin soy sauce brand called HEYDOH. The product is made with Taiwanese whole black soybeans instead of the industrial yellow soybeans that most producers use. The branding is spectacular 👇 HEYDOH

• Tilray is upping the ante with a new line of 10mg THC drinks. Tilray is releasing the more potent drinks under its Fizzy Jane’s and Happy Flower brands. GlobeNewswire

Data 🖥️

• According to Charm, these are the 10 fastest-growing fragrance brands on TikTok Shop this year. WWD

• Suntory Global Spirits reported that alcohol sales dipped 2.4% during the first six months of 2025. The Japanese spirits firm attributed the sales decline to slowing consumption in the U.S. and Europe. Suntory’s strongest performers in the period were Roku Japanese Gin and its portfolio of RTD cocktail brands. The Spirits Business

Distribution News 🚚

• Leisure Hydration is available at Costco in SoCal & Hawaii.

• Supergut launched at H-E-B.

• DryWater launched at 2,000 Walgreens locations.

• Experiment is launching at Sephora soon.

• Xochi launched at Mother’s Market & Kitchen.