- CPG Weekly News
This Week in CPG 05/18/2026
🛒 Retail Rollouts
🥤 UPDATE Lands on Amazon
UPDATE, co-founded by Kim Kardashian and Daniel Solomons, launched its Amazon Storefront on May 11, making its paraxanthine-powered energy drinks available in variety packs and 12-packs with a first-time Subscribe & Save discount. The energy drink brand is giving shoppers a new way to stock up online, with options including a Berry, Grape and Peach variety pack or 12-packs of individual flavors. Powered by paraxanthine, the compound the body naturally produces when metabolizing caffeine, UPDATE is positioned as a smooth, focused energy option with zero sugar, zero calories and no artificial flavors or colors. The Amazon launch expands access for consumers looking to add the brand to their regular online shopping routine.
🍝 Sababa Foods Brings Saturday Sauce to QFC
Sababa Foods, founded by Amy Dell, is bringing its Middle Eastern-inspired Saturday Sauce to five QFC stores around Seattle in Mild and Slightly Spicy varieties. The 16 oz jarred sauce puts a Middle Eastern twist on classic Italian Sunday sauce, drawing from the flavors and culinary traditions that shaped Dell’s childhood. The launch begins at QFC locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell and Redmond, giving local shoppers a new way to bring bold, tradition-inspired flavor into everyday meals.
🌱 Devious Hits Target Nationwide
Devious, co-founded by Abbey Cox and Louise Cox, launched nationwide in 600+ Target stores as the first protein seasoning in mass retail, adding 10g of protein from organic pumpkin seeds to everyday meals. The clean-label seasoning is gluten-free, dairy-free and made without sugar, gums or fillers, offering shoppers a simple sprinkle-or-mix format that avoids the usual shakes and bars. The Target launch marks a major milestone for the mom-daughter-led brand and introduces a first-of-its-kind innovation to one of grocery’s most established categories.
💧 No Days Wasted Expands at Walmart Canada
No Days Wasted, founded by Nishal Kumar, is rolling out nationally at Walmart Canada with its Active Hydration Sugar-Free Electrolyte Drink Mix Variety Pack. The 9-count pack includes single-serve hydration sticks made with key electrolytes including sodium from pink Himalayan salt, potassium and magnesium to support workouts, travel, sports and everyday hydration. Proudly made in Canada, the Walmart rollout marks another omnichannel milestone for the brand as it brings science-backed hydration to more shoppers across North America.
🍛 The Cumin Club Enters H-E-B
The Cumin Club, co-founded by Ragoth Bala, Harish Visweswaran and Kirubhanandan Rajagopal, launched in 140 H-E-B stores across Texas, bringing its chef-crafted Indian meals to a 1,200-store retail footprint. The launch includes five bestselling SKUs — Palak Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala, Dal Makhani, Dal Tadka and Vegetable Korma — all designed to deliver authentic Indian flavors in a shelf-stable, five-minute format. The move builds on the brand’s retail momentum at Sprouts and Walmart while tapping into Texas’ diverse food culture and strong South Asian community.
🍦 Nightingale Ice Cream Lands at Costco
Nightingale Ice Cream, founded by Hannah Pollack, landed a limited Costco rotation in Bay Area stores with an exclusive 12-pack of Brookie Dough Chomp ice cream sandwiches. The launch brings the brand’s indulgent ice cream sandwich format to SF-area Costco shoppers through a limited regional rotation. With Costco known for turning regional finds into high-volume fan favorites, the placement gives Nightingale a strong opportunity to build awareness with a new audience.
☕ Oval Coffee Roasters Grows with DeCicco & Sons
Oval Coffee Roasters, co-founded by Andrew Itzkowitz and Christopher Alspach, expanded across DeCicco & Sons Markets in Westchester and Putnam Counties with whole bean and pour-over single-serve coffees. For Itzkowitz, the rollout represents a full-circle retail relationship with the DeCicco family that dates back nearly two decades through multiple CPG categories. The brand will offer approachable light and light-to-medium roast coffees in formats designed for home, office, travel, gifting and hospitality, with in-store demos planned to introduce shoppers to specialty coffee in an accessible way.
🚀 New Product Launch
🥭 Drastic Drink Begins First Production Run
Drastic Drink, founded by Simrit Sidhu, kicked off its first co-packer production run for Mango Passionfruit and Raspberry Hibiscus recovery and hydration beverages as it seeks Canadian retail partners and investors. The Canadian-made functional beverage is formulated with vitamins, electrolytes, herbs and amino acids to support hydration and recovery after nights out, workouts, long travel days or everyday dehydration. After years of R&D, the first production run marks a major milestone for the brand as it prepares to bring bold-flavored luxury hydration to shelves.
🫐 Twinings Adds Blueberry Lemon Refreshers
Twinings North America expanded its Refreshers line with Blueberry Lemon, a naturally caffeine-free instant herbal tea beverage now available at select Target stores and Target.com. The new flavor combines juicy blueberry with zesty lemon and is made with real fruit bits, herbal ingredients, cane sugar and no artificial sweeteners. Built for easy at-home or on-the-go preparation, the launch taps into demand for cold, fruit-forward beverages and café-style drinks consumers can make in seconds.
🌹 Madhrasi Introduces Rose Syrup
Madhrasi, founded by Nancy Daniel, launched an all-natural Rose Syrup inspired by India’s summer rose milk tradition for use in cafés, mocktails, matcha, lemonades and desserts. Crafted in small batches with real rose and beetroot for natural color, the syrup contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The launch extends the Boston-based South Indian chai brand’s mission of bringing authentic Indian beverage rituals to modern American consumers, with availability online, at select farmers markets and in seasonal drinks at Boston-area cafés.
🍹 Recess Debuts Margarita Mini Party Pack
Recess, founded by Benjamin Witte, launched its first Zero Proof “Margarita” Mini Party Pack with Lime, Spicy, Watermelon and Strawberry flavors in 7.5 oz mini cans. The four-flavor sampler builds on the brand’s bestselling Lime “Margarita” and is crafted with agave, guayusa and adaptogens for an alcohol-free social sip. Designed to work as a mocktail, mixer or reset between drinks, the pack gives consumers a flexible format for summer hosting and social occasions.
🍬 JOYRIDE Sweets Launches Party Packs
JOYRIDE Sweets, founded by Tyler Merrick, launched new Party Packs featuring individually wrapped better-for-you candy assortments made with no artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives. The lineup includes Super Novas, Smacks & Wedges and Ropes Party Packs, each containing 14 fun-sized bags for sharing across celebrations, hangouts and everyday snacking. The launch builds on the brand’s momentum as it continues reinventing nostalgic candy with less sugar and its “Zero Junk” ingredient promise.
🤝 Brand Partnerships
🍜 A-Sha Foods Teams Up with Andrew Zimmern
A-Sha Foods partnered with Chef Andrew Zimmern to launch the exclusive Target “Zimm’s” collection, spanning Cheesy Noodles, Air-Dried Noodle Soup Bowls and Peanut Butter Chili Crisp. The chef-driven line brings global comfort food twists to Target shelves, with flavors like Cheesy Truffle, Spicy Cacio e Pepe, Roasted Garlic Chicken, Spicy Pork and Miso. The partnership also marks A-Sha’s expansion beyond the international aisle into broader grocery categories including pasta, soup and condiments.
✈️ Archer Roose Wines Boards Breeze Airways
Archer Roose Wines, founded by Marian Leitner-Waldman and co-owned by Elizabeth Banks, is now available onboard Breeze Airways with Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Bubbly Rosé across 300+ routes. The launch arrives as part of Breeze’s fifth birthday menu refresh and gives travelers access to award-winning, portioned canned wines during summer travel season. For the brand, the airline placement reinforces its mission to bring modern wine formats to consumers wherever they are.
🎉 News to Celebrate
💦 Hint Water Makes Hydration Craveable
Hint Water debuted its first major integrated campaign under “Water For People With Tastebuds,” reframing hydration as something craveable with its new MMMMM Water™ platform. The campaign, developed with Mythology, leans into desire-driven creative inspired by high-fashion fragrance advertising and introduces playful messaging like WILF, or “Water I’d Like to Finish.” Rolling out across streaming, digital, social, podcasts, out-of-home, experiential and retail, the campaign marks Hint’s first national marketing moment since 2024.
🥤 OLIPOP Celebrates Battle of the Berries
OLIPOP, founded by Ben Goodwin, celebrated its newest berry soda launches with a La La Land Café pop-up featuring a surprise performance from Jesse McCartney. The event gave the first 50 attendees a live performance of fan favorites including “Leavin’,” “Beautiful Soul” and “Just So You Know” while they sampled OLIPOP’s exclusive Battle of the Berries drinks. The activation spotlighted the brand’s latest soda launches, Raspberry Sherbet and Blackberry Vanilla, with a nostalgia-packed celebrity moment.
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