- CPG Weekly News
This Week in CPG 07/28/25
🛒 Retail Rollouts
🌊 GEEM's Midwest milestone: Seaweed snacks go mainstream
GEEM, founded by Candice Choi, just landed in all Whole Foods Midwest stores—bringing seaweed snacks once deemed “too ethnic” to the heartland’s shelves. What started as a cultural pain point for founder Candice Choi—growing up in Michigan eating plain bagels to avoid judgment for her seaweed snacks—has become a full-circle moment. GEEM’s nostalgic yet modern seaweed chips are now proudly featured across Whole Foods stores in the Midwest, proving that culturally rooted foods have a place in everyday snacking. This retail expansion is both a personal victory and a sign of shifting consumer tastes across mainstream America.
🍉 Bawi Agua Fresca hits NorCal Whole Foods: A refreshing debut
Bawi Agua Fresca, cofounded by Victor Guardiola and Jordan Hicks, has officially launched in Whole Foods Market NorCal, spotlighting Mexican flavors in a better-for-you beverage aisle. Bawi Agua Fresca, inspired by the traditional Mexican fruit drinks, has made its NorCal debut at Whole Foods Market. The brand’s cofounder, Victor Guardiola—a first-generation Mexican American—celebrated the cultural significance of the launch and its reflection of growing demand for heritage-rooted, clean-label beverages. The move marks a meaningful step in Bawi’s journey to represent Latino culture on premium grocery shelves.
🍸 Cheeky Cocktails to Target.com: Craft mixers go national
Cheeky Cocktails, founded by April Wachtel, is now available on Target.com—marking a major milestone for the craft cocktail mixer brand. After a year full of hurdles, Cheeky Cocktails founder April Wachtel announced the brand’s arrival on Target.com. Known for bar-quality cocktail mixers made with real ingredients, this launch is a breakthrough for Cheeky’s distribution strategy. While starting online, this Target partnership signals a bigger national play ahead for the female-founded, flavor-forward brand.
🚀 New Product Launch
🍍 Amazi's sweet heat: Chile Lime Pineapple goes live on Thrive Market
Amazi Foods, founded by Renee Dunn, dropped its newest regenerative snack—Chile Lime Pineapple—exclusively on Thrive Market just in time for summer. Amazi Foods continues to deliver bold, simple ingredients with the launch of its third pineapple SKU—Chile Lime Pineapple. The regenerative snack features Ugandan-grown cayenne pineapple and in-house dried chili peppers, seasoned with lime, paprika, and salt. Founder Renee Dunn praised the flavor as one of her personal favorites, and the partnership with Thrive Market strengthens Amazi’s mission to bring impactful, transparent sourcing to center-stage.
💪 PRES launches protein coffee: Fuel for what’s next
PRES, cofounded by Jason Kim, Rafael Simpson, and Graham Guirl under Dean Street, has launched its protein-packed cold brew nationwide on Amazon and in select retailers. PRES is the latest entrant in the better-for-you beverage space, combining 20g of complete protein with 120mg of natural caffeine in each shelf-stable cold brew bottle. With just 1g of sugar and no artificial fillers, the product appeals to on-the-go consumers looking to maximize function without sacrificing taste. The initial lineup includes Mocha, Vanilla, and Original flavors, now available on Amazon and rolling out to physical retail shelves.
🍏 Vitaminis debuts Daily Greens: Drink your veggies with ease
Vitaminis, founded by Leslie Danford, is launching Daily Greens—a nutrient-rich juice shot packed with veggies and vitamins—as an exclusive with a soon-to-be-revealed retailer. Created in response to customer requests for an easy, no-fuss way to consume more greens, Vitaminis’ new Daily Greens delivers essential nutrients from kale, spinach, mushrooms, and more—without added sugars or refrigeration needs. With flavors like green apple and pear, this shelf-stable shot is a kid-friendly, grab-and-go solution for families focused on health and convenience.
🍯 Yummy Honey expands offerings: Healing in every jar
Yummy Honey, founded by Kushinda Little, continues to grow with its small-batch, raw honey offerings—each jar honoring ancestral healing, sustainability, and community wellness. Yummy Honey began as a passion project rooted in storytelling, ancestral healing, and land stewardship. With unfiltered, intentional honey at its core, founder Kushinda Little’s brand continues to scale—delivering wellness-focused products that reclaim generational food traditions. The 9 oz. jars symbolize more than sweetness—they represent sovereignty, sustainability, and Black woman entrepreneurship.
💸 Acquisitions and Investments
🌶️ Vilore acquires Tia Lupita: Authentic Mexican flavor joins natural food powerhouse
Tia Lupita Foods, founded by Hector Saldívar, has been acquired by Vilore Foods—marking Vilore’s official entry into natural foods and expanding its portfolio of culturally connected brands. Tia Lupita Foods, known for its grain-free cactus tortilla chips, chili crunch, and clean-label hot sauces, is now part of the Vilore Foods family. With national exposure following a Shark Tank appearance and investment from Kevin O’Leary, the brand has become a standout in authentic, better-for-you Mexican cuisine. The acquisition gives Vilore a strong foothold in the growing natural foods category while honoring Tia Lupita’s cultural and culinary heritage.
🧃 Health-Ade joins Generous Brands: $500M kombucha deal announced
Health-Ade, cofounded by Daina Trout, Justin Trout, and Vanessa Dew, has been acquired by Generous Brands in a deal valuing the kombucha maker at $500M. Health-Ade, the kombucha company that started at a Los Angeles farmers market, has officially joined Generous Brands. The $500 million acquisition reflects years of growth, category leadership, and consumer trust. Health-Ade’s founders emphasized that this next chapter will allow them to scale more rapidly while staying true to their gut-health-focused mission and values.
🎉 News to Celebrate
📣 The Good Food Collective launches: 25 brands unite for nutrition transparency
The Good Food Collective has officially launched as the first natural food advocacy group led by brands, including:
GoodPop, Simple Mills, LesserEvil Brand Snack Co., Evergreen Waffles, Actual Veggies, Daily Crunch, Rudi’s Rocky Mountain Bakery, New Primal, Dr. Praeger’s, Sweet Nothings, Sunnie, Little Sesame , Harken Sweets, Lentiful, Globowl, Culture Pop Soda, Paktli Foods, Huxley, Sattva Vida Inc., Brass Roots Food, PLANTSTRONG Foods I Eat My Greens, ZICO Rising, Interact Brands—all uniting to elevate food labeling and empower consumer decision-making.
With a mission to increase clarity and integrity in food labels, the GFC has already taken action by submitting a tech-enabled, QR-code-based proposal to the FDA that aims to make front-of-pack nutrition education more engaging and accessible. It marks the first time that emerging food brands have come together to lead with both product innovation and consumer advocacy.
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