Unilever Backs Create Wellness, Our Home Buys Another Brand 🧀

Welcome back to This Week in CPG, folks. If you’re new here, don’t forget to check us out on Twitter and Instagram where we regularly post about all things CPG. We have lots to cover today so let’s dive in:

• Grupo Bimbo bets on Brazil 🍞

• Habitat Partners backs Mezcla 🍫

• New from Noble Panacea 👁️

• Foxtrot Market returns ☕️

• Bloom launches at Costco 🥬

Unilever Backs Create Wellness 💪

Create, a modern wellness brand that aims to make creatine more approachable and less stigmatized, raised $5M in Series A funding. The round was led by Unilever Ventures. Thus far, Create has raised a total of $7.3M in funding.

Founded in 2022 by Dan McCormick, Create was the first company to bring a creatine monohydrate gummy product to market. Since launching, Create has generated over $15M in net revenue and sold over 20 million gummies. The welless brand expects sales to hit $25M this year.

Despite a number of other brands flooding the market with creatine gummies, Create still stands out as the category leader for a few reasons. Beyond their first mover status, Create’s products are rigorously tested by third parties to ensure creatine potency. This is particularly important given that industry watchdogs confirmed that a number of creatine gummy brands are lying about their dosage claims. 

Secondly, Create has cultivated a broad network of fitness influencers to solidify its place as the #1 creatine gummy brand. If you scroll on Instagram or TikTok, fitness influencers like Michael Chernow and endurance athletes like Eric Hinman are actively promoting the brand. In short, Create works with the creme da la creme of fitness influencers, which gives it an edge over the latecomers. 

Though Create originally focused on online channels like its website and Amazon, lately the company has been pushing into retail. Earlier this year, Create launched at over 1,500 GNC stores, and roughly a week ago they launched storewide at Wegmans.

More on the fundraise from The Information.

Bex Builds Iconic Brands 🔥

BexBrands is an award-winning design studio that specializes in brand identity and packaging design for enduring consumer brands.

Bex takes a strategy-based approach to ensure that brands connect with their target audience and stand the test of time.

Since launching in 2010, Bex has worked with Barnana, Kopari Beauty, Lily’s Sweets, Suja Juice, Once Upon a Farm, and many other brands.

Interested in working together? Get in touch with us here.

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Our Home continues its impressive acquisition spree. The BFY snack platform has acquired ParmCrisps for an undisclosed sum. The seller is Hain Celestial Group who is eager to streamline its vast portfolio of brands. Hain Celestial acquired ParmCrisps along with Thinsters in 2021 for $259M. Both brands have since been divested. PR Newswire

• Grupo Bimbo increased its presence in Brazil by acquiring Wickbold, a Brazilian producer of baked goods. As part of the deal, Grupo Bimbo is taking over four manufacturing facilities throughout Brazil. FoodBev

Fundraising

• Habitat Partners, the venture arm of Red Antler, has invested in plant-based protein bar brand Mezcla. Mezcla was founded in 2019 by Griffin Spolansky. The brand retails at H-E-B, Whole Foods Market, and will hit shelves at Albertsons later this year. Habitat has built a really impressive portfolio in a short period of time. Twitter 

• Papa’s Pilar, an ultra-premium rum brand that was founded in 2012, raised $15M in funding from undisclosed investors in late August. Papa’s Pilar was founded by Steve Groth who previously co-founded Angel’s Envy, the bourbon brand that Bacardi acquired in 2015. PitchBook

• Global investment firm Verlinvest led a $35M funding round for Blue Tokai, an Indian purveyor of specialty coffee that launched in 2012. Verlinvest was an early investor in Sula Vineyards and has been active in India. World Coffee Portal

• John Lowe, the former CEO of Jeni’s, launched a new private equity firm called Amok Consumer Growth. The plan is to focus on early-stage restaurant and retail concepts, but I imagine they’ll make some CPG investments given the background of their team. Nation’s Restaurant News

What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• British fashion brand Nobody’s Child expanded into beauty with a collection of fragrances and skincare products. The new line will be available at Boots, M&S, and John Lewis. Cosmetics Business

• Popular fragrance brand Diptyque released a new collection of scents called Les Essences de Diptyque. The products are beautiful and retail for between $200 and $330. WWD

• This is only a concept but Blas Studio designed some stunning packaging for Gishi, an adaptogenic wellness brand. Love it. Packaging of the World

• Lemme is partnering with New York’s Fellini Coffee for an activation during New York Fashion Week. Lemme will be sampling products at three locations from September 5th-7th. Happi

• Luxury skincare brand Noble Panacea unveiled a new product called The Exceptional Eye Lift Concentrate. The product features active ingredients like retinal, octapeptide, and Persian silk tree extract. Instagram

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Non-alc aperitif brand Ghia launched a stunning new product called Le Fizz. Ghia simply doesn’t miss. What a beauty 👇 Instagram

• The newest flavor from BFY soda brand Poppi is in fact Cherry Cola. Excited to try this one. Trend Hunter

• Lee Kum Kee, the Asian pantry staples brand that was founded over 130 years ago, unveiled a colorful brand refresh. If the goal is to win the affection and eyeballs of younger consumers, I’d say this is a win. Twitter

• Jose Cuervo expanded into the crowded spicy tequila category with the launch of Devil’s Reserve. It’s a great-looking bottle. Casamigos launched their spicy tequila earlier this year. Business Wire

• Another agave spirits brand, Ilegal Mezcal, launched an interesting new product — Reposado Caribbean Cask Finish. The mezcal is aged for two months in barrels that previously aged 8-year Caribbean rum. Instagram

• Next gen sparkling water brand oHy officially launched. The product is crafted with molecular hydrogen, magnesium, and USDA organic flavors. A handful of brands like Loftiwater have already tried to “disrupt” the sparkling water category with pretty lukewarm results. Love the packaging, though. LinkedIn

• Beloved retailer Foxtrot is reopening one of its Chicago stores later today. They also plan on opening more stores in Chicago and Dallas throughout 2025. PR Newswire

• Patagonia Provisions and Deschutes Brewery released two new products: Kernza Lager and Non-Alcoholic Kernza Golden Brew. Both brews are made with kernza, a soil-saving, carbon-capturing grain. Instagram

Data 🖥️

• Constellation Brands — the owner of Corona, Modelo, High West Distillery, and SVEDKA Distillery — will write down the value of its wine & spirits division and take a $2.5B charge due to flagging demand. The wine category is taking a beating across the board. The pendulum will swing back, however. Reuters

Distribution News 🚚

• Bloom launched their Strawberry Kiwi Greens SKU at Costco.

• Plant-based energy drink brand Huxley launched at Kowalski’s.

• Fenty Hair launched at Selfridges in the UK.

• BloxSnacks rolled out at Target.

• Nixie launched their BFY soda range at Erewhon.