This Week in CPG 05/20/24

🛒 Retail Rollouts

🍫 Soom Foods expands reach and grows sales 261% on Instacart, driving performance at Publix Super Markets.

Soom Foods has significantly expanded its customer base and increased sales by 261% on Instacart, demonstrating remarkable growth in its first conventional retailer, Publix Super Markets. According to Marketing Director Julie Ozlek, while various promotional programs were tested, Instacart proved to be the second most effective tool for driving performance, second to traditional price reductions (TPRs). This success highlights the strategic importance of leveraging online grocery platforms to boost visibility and sales in brick-and-mortar stores.

🍦 Gallivant Ice Cream, founded by Snehee Chaplot, launches in 151 Kroger locations across Houston and Dallas.

Gallivant Ice Cream, known for its unique mawa-infused flavors, is now available in 151 Kroger stores across Houston and Dallas. Founder Snehee Chaplot expresses excitement about this significant expansion, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to quality and cultural celebration. This partnership with Kroger allows Gallivant to introduce its exotic flavors to a broader audience, offering a creamy and luxurious twist on traditional ice cream that celebrates diversity and culinary exploration.

🍟 Mark Samuel’s IWON Organics is getting a national roll-out with Whole Foods Market this year, featuring four SKUs in all stores.

IWON Organics, founded by Mark Samuel, is set to achieve a nationwide rollout in Whole Foods Market, with four SKUs available in all stores by the end of the year. This expansion marks a significant milestone for the company, which prides itself on offering seed-oil-free, green-pea-based salty snacks. The national presence in Whole Foods Market will enhance IWON Organics’ visibility and accessibility, supporting its mission to provide clean and nutritious snack options.

🥭 Seal the Seasons expands certified-organic locally-grown frozen fruit to ~250 Whole Foods Market locations across the U.S.

Seal the Seasons is expanding its certified-organic locally-grown frozen fruit offerings to approximately 250 Whole Foods Market locations nationwide. Founded by Patrick Mateer, the company emphasizes sustainability and support for organic family farmers across various states. This partnership with Whole Foods Market underscores a shared commitment to promoting a tastier, stronger, and lower-carbon-footprint food system, making healthy, organic produce more accessible to consumers.

🍓 Chia Smash, founded by Anna Peck and Steven Ford, launches Strawberry Superfood Jam in 27oz jars at Costco Wholesale in FL locations.

Chia Smash, co-founded by Anna Peck and Steven Ford, is now offering its Strawberry Superfood Jam in 27oz jars at Costco Wholesale locations in Florida. This expansion into a major retailer like Costco represents a significant growth opportunity for Chia Smash, which focuses on delivering nutritious, delicious, and innovative superfood jams to a wider audience. The larger jar size caters to Costco shoppers looking for high-quality, health-conscious products.

🌽 Dell Cove Spices & More Co., founded by Patricia Beets, is now proudly carried by Niemann Harvest Market in Carmel, Indiana, offering six varieties of Indiana-grown popcorn kernels and a full line of gluten-free and plant-based popcorn seasonings.

Dell Cove Spices & More Co., led by founder Patricia Beets, has launched its range of Indiana-grown popcorn kernels and gluten-free, plant-based seasonings at Niemann Harvest Market in Carmel, Indiana. The availability of all six popcorn varieties and the full seasoning line in this new gourmet grocery store marks a significant retail expansion for the brand, enhancing its local presence and offering customers a unique and flavorful snacking experience.

🌱 Actual Veggies partners with Safeway Albertsons, Natural Grocers, Meijer, and more to double its retail footprint to over 6,000 doors, debuting Super Fries in 600+ locations.

Actual Veggies is set to double its retail footprint to over 6,000 doors by partnering with Safeway Albertsons, Natural Grocers, Meijer, and other regional and independent retailers. This significant expansion includes the debut of their Super Fries in over 600 locations, including Sprouts Farmers Market and The Fresh Market. The company, which has achieved profitability, also secured additional capital from Relentless Consumer Partners and a follow-on investment from New Fare to support these launches and further growth.

🍫 Daniel Goetz announces GoodPop is now available at select Targets around the country, featuring pops made with 100% juice and no added sugar.

GoodPop, founded by Daniel Goetz, is now available at select Target stores nationwide. These pops, made with 100% juice and no added sugar, offer a healthier alternative to traditional frozen treats. This expansion into a major retailer like Target provides an excellent opportunity for GoodPop to reach new customers and spread its mission of creating better-for-you snacks. Goetz’s gratitude towards early supporters and his excitement for new customers to try GoodPop highlights the brand’s community-oriented approach.

🍪 Megan Feeman, founder of NoBaked Cookie Dough, announces their cookie dough is now available nationwide with DashMart.

Megan Feeman, founder of NoBaked Cookie Dough, proudly announces that their cookie dough is now available nationwide through DashMart. This expansion represents a major milestone for the brand, which has become a favorite among cookie dough enthusiasts. DashMart’s wide reach will enable NoBaked to cater to a broader customer base, offering their delicious and safe-to-eat cookie dough to more households across the country.

🥜 Daily Crunch launches uniquely crunchy sprouted nut snacks in 453 Target stores nationwide, featuring flavors like Dill Pickle and Nashville Hot.

Daily Crunch, the women-owned, mental health mission-driven brand, is launching its uniquely crunchy sprouted nut snacks in 453 Target stores nationwide. Founded by Laurel Orley, the brand’s innovative sprouting process and commitment to clean ingredients set it apart in the snack industry. Target’s selection includes flavors like Dill Pickle and Nashville Hot, with the Dill Pickle flavor being Upcycled Certified. This expansion aligns with Daily Crunch’s mission to offer tasty and nutritious snacks while promoting sustainable practices.

🎉 News to Celebrate

🚽 Dude Wipes, founded by Sean Riley, becomes the #2 best-selling toilet paper on Amazon, surpassing industry giants.

Dude Wipes, co-founded by Sean Riley, has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the #2 best-selling toilet paper on Amazon, surpassing major industry giants. Despite initial skepticism from “experts” and the challenge of competing against well-established brands, Dude Wipes succeeded through strategic efforts and minimal capital raising, including a Shark Tank round with Mark Cuban. This achievement highlights the brand’s resilience and innovative approach in the highly competitive consumer goods market.

🎉 North Country Charcuterie, celebrating its 10th anniversary, launches a new brand, Foris Extraordinary Meats, to expand beyond charcuterie into other specialty meats with adventurous flavors.

North Country Charcuterie is thrilled to announce the launch of its new brand, Foris Extraordinary Meats, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2014, the company initially focused on charcuterie at a time when it was just gaining recognition in Columbus, Ohio. Over the past decade, North Country Charcuterie has evolved, with consumers increasingly interested in international foods and more adventurous flavors. To mark this milestone and embrace future growth, the company is launching Foris Extraordinary Meats, a brand designed to allow room for innovation beyond traditional charcuterie. This new brand will enable North Country Charcuterie to offer a wider range of specialty meats, catering to the evolving tastes of its customers and positioning the company for continued success in the next decade.

🎙️ PODCAST

169. Building a Profitable Single Origin Spice Company

When Ori left his previous VC funded tech startup, he was determined that his next company would be bootstrapped so he could control his own destiny. Ori co-founded Burlap & Barrel with Ethan Frisch, a single-origin spice company. They made sure the company was profitable from day 1 (without paying themselves). Initially they put all the money back into the company, doing consulting on the side and by year 3 they were able to start paying themselves completely from the company.

Listen to our conversation as we discuss the conscious choice to be profitable, how they found success with a unique value proposition selling “commodities”, and their upcoming expansion into retail.

www.burlapandbarrel.com

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168. Lil Gourmets - Aligning Your Vision With Your Customers

Building a CPG brand can be a winding road. Often times the product you start out creating ends up changing as you learn and iterate with your customers. Now, changing from your original idea can be hard, but ultimately you’ll create a better product if you align your core vision with customer feedback. 

Shibani Baluja knows this journey well. She’s a long time friend and founder of Lil gourmet’s, a line of baby and toddler food for adventurous eaters. I invited her on to share her journey of building the company, her original vision, and the changes she’s had to make to get to where she is today. 

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Other News

News from Bumpin Blends Smoothie Cubes, Pitaya Foods, Soom Foods, Ghia, Belgian Boys, Hotpot Queen, Fancypants, Laoban Dumplings, RIND Snacks, Liquid Death, Twrl Milk Tea, BEHAVE Candy and Essie's Heart Healthy DELISH.
News from No Days Wasted, Bowlcut, Laoban Dumplings, Tal's, Offshoot Brands, Lil' Gourmets, Wellious and Whole Foods Market.
News from AubSauce, Paradise, Sauz, Blackbird Foods, Diana’s, Fruit Friends, Atomo Coffee, Actual Veggies, BāKIT Box and LEXINGTON BAKES.

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