- CPG Weekly News
This Week in CPG 11/02/2026
🛒 Retail Rollouts
🍜 Hotpot Queen Returns to Fresh Thyme
Hotpot Queen, founded by Jia Liao O, has returned to all 69 Fresh Thyme Market locations with three noodle meal kits after improving its packaging and pricing to secure a second chance with the retailer. The brand initially entered Fresh Thyme in late 2024 as part of a three-month product rotation but did not secure a reorder. After studying shopper behavior, the team redesigned its packaging to improve product recognition and lowered its suggested retail price to encourage trial. A renewed conversation with the retailer’s category manager at Expo West helped reopen the opportunity, bringing three improved noodle meal kits back to shelves across the chain.
🥤 Fizztein Enters Its First Grocery Store
Fizztein, founded by Erin Aloia, has entered its first grocery store at Country Markets in Eastchester, New York, marking a retail milestone following its expansion into local gyms, studios, cafés, and specialty shops. The hometown grocery debut represents an important step in the beverage brand’s growing retail presence across Westchester and New York City. After building distribution through fitness and specialty channels, Fizztein is entering a traditional grocery environment where consumers can incorporate its beverages into their regular shopping routines. The brand is also supporting the launch with an in-store sampling event featuring its full flavor lineup.
🍨 McConnell’s Introduces Half-Pints at Costco
McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams has launched its first-ever half-pint ice cream format at select Southern California Costco locations, offering four-packs of Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Sea Salt Cookies & Cream for $14.49. The launch marks a first for the 78-year-old, family-owned California ice cream brand, bringing its premium, small-batch offerings to Costco shoppers in a new portion size. Each Costco-exclusive bundle contains four individually portioned 8-ounce cups across two established flavors. The smaller format creates additional opportunities for trial and convenient consumption while introducing the brand to shoppers who may prefer an alternative to purchasing full-size pints.
💧 H2ALL Expands Purpose-Driven Water Distribution
H2ALL, founded by Nich Cornwell, is expanding its clean-water-focused bottled water across Georgia through the Anheuser-Busch distribution network, reaching 105 QuikTrip locations and Atlanta’s Wayfield Foods while funding one gallon of clean water per bottle sold. The expansion strengthens the brand’s presence in convenience and grocery channels, including Wayfield Foods, which serves approximately 7.5 million shoppers annually. H2ALL combines everyday hydration with a measurable social impact model, allowing consumers to scan a QR code on each bottle to track their contribution toward clean-water projects. The distribution growth brings its mission-driven product to a broader audience across Georgia.
🥜 Soom Foods Expands to 617 Target Stores
Soom Foods has expanded its Premium Tahini distribution from 232 to 617 Target stores across 46 states, more than doubling its retail footprint and entering several new markets nationwide. The expansion increases the brand’s Target presence by more than 2.5 times, with significant growth in California, Texas, Illinois, and Florida. The rollout also introduces Soom Premium Tahini to additional states, including New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Washington, Connecticut, and Maryland. Shoppers can find the product in Target’s peanut butter aisle, making tahini more accessible through mainstream grocery shopping.
🧊 Snack Buddies Makes Its Target Debut
Snack Buddies has launched its family-friendly frozen snacks at Target, marking a major retail milestone as the brand expands its accessibility through the retailer’s freezer aisles. Created with the goal of offering snacks that families can enjoy together, the brand’s arrival at Target represents a significant step in its retail journey. The launch brings its frozen snack offerings into a major national retail environment, expanding consumer access and supporting its mission of making family-friendly snacking more convenient.
🍬 Re-Route Expands Grounding Sours Availability
Re-Route, founded by Allison Zaluski, has launched its functional Grounding Sours at Earth Origins Market while securing Amazon Prime eligibility, expanding access to its vegan, gluten-free sour drops formulated with mood-supporting ingredients. The Berry Cherry-flavored functional hard sours combine a bold sour taste with Holy Basil, L-Theanine, and Maitake Mushroom, ingredients selected to help support a positive mood. Each resealable pouch contains 25 drops designed around the brand’s “Sour Over Spiral” concept. With availability at Earth Origins Market in St. Petersburg, Florida, Amazon Prime, and its direct-to-consumer website, Re-Route is building a multichannel presence in the functional wellness category.
🍜 Crafty Ramen Expands Nationwide Through Kroger
Crafty Ramen, founded by Miki Ferrall, has expanded its ramen products into Kroger stores across the United States, marking a major retail milestone for the brand that began as a neighborhood noodle shop. The expansion represents a significant step from the company’s early days, when its first noodle shop set a goal of selling 100 bowls. Its entry into Kroger brings Crafty Ramen to a much broader retail audience while extending the brand’s original mission of making comforting ramen more accessible beyond its restaurant beginnings.
🥤 FERMENTERIA Expands to 60 Whole Foods Stores
FERMENTERIA: Water Kefir, founded by Jade Chang Sheppard, has expanded all three flavors of its water kefir beverages into 60 Whole Foods Market stores across the Southern Pacific region, supported by direct-store distribution through HiTouch Libations. The rollout marks an important distribution milestone for the beverage brand, bringing its complete three-flavor lineup to the retailer’s Southern Pacific region. Working with HiTouch Libations for direct-store delivery, FERMENTERIA is expanding its retail reach and making its water kefir beverages more accessible to Whole Foods shoppers throughout the region.
🚀 New Product Launch
🍪 McCormick Introduces Festive Holiday Flavors
McCormick has introduced three limited-edition Holiday Finishing Sugars and five new Holiday Seasoning Mixes, bringing festive flavors including Sugar Cookie, Cranberry, Dulce de Leche, and Salted Caramel Cheesecake to retailers nationwide. The seasonal lineup includes Sugar Cookie, Cranberry, and Dulce de Leche Finishing Sugars alongside Turkey Rub, Turkey Dry Brine Rub, Garlic Herb Butter Roast, Creamy Jalapeño Spinach Dip, and Salted Caramel Cheesecake Seasoning Mixes. Designed to simplify holiday cooking and entertaining, the products provide convenient ways to add seasonal flavors to everything from Thanksgiving meals to baked goods and cocktails. The collection is available at retailers nationwide, including Walmart and Albertsons.
🥚 Kidfresh Expands Into Breakfast and Snacks
Kidfresh, founded by Matt Cohen and led by CEO Michael Allen, has expanded into breakfast and snacking with four new frozen products featuring hidden vegetables and protein, launching at Target in October 2026. The new lineup includes Egg Bites & Potato Tots, Mac & Cheese Bites, Blueberry Mini Muffins, and Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins, extending the brand’s vegetable-forward approach beyond lunch and dinner. The breakfast combination delivers 14 grams of protein per serving, while the Mac & Cheese Bites provide 10 grams. Both mini muffin varieties contain 5 grams of protein per serving, with the Blueberry and Chocolate Chip options offering 35% and 45% less sugar, respectively, than the leading brand. The products debuted in Target’s frozen aisle in October.
🥜 Prima Launches Peanut Butter Protein Bar
Prima, co-founded by Dominick DeLegge and Anthony Pennacchio, has launched a Peanut Butter protein bar featuring 21 grams of protein, grass-fed beef tallow, and 10 real ingredients, with distribution planned for Kroger on November 7 and Sprouts on December 14. The new flavor joins Cacao, Cookie Dough, Mocha, Salted Caramel, and Mint Chip in the brand’s protein bar lineup. Made with grass-fed whey and collagen, organic raw honey, and no seed oils, isolates, fillers, or natural flavors, the bar emphasizes a short ingredient list. The Peanut Butter variety launched direct-to-consumer on October 22 at a suggested retail price of $3.69 per bar, with a box priced at $27.93, ahead of its planned grocery rollouts.
🤝 Brand Partnerships
🔪 Tumbler and Liquid Death Launch Limited-Edition Knife Sharpener
Tumbler, founded by Manuel Rappard, has partnered with Liquid Death to launch the $159 limited-edition “Death to Dull Knives” rolling knife sharpener, featuring a black-and-gold design, coffin-shaped magnetic holder, and custom packaging. The collaboration brings Liquid Death’s unconventional branding into the kitchen through a distinctive take on Tumbler’s rolling knife sharpening system. Originally conceived as a social media concept, the idea caught Liquid Death’s attention and developed into the brands’ first limited-edition product together. The sharpener is available through Tumbler’s website and features custom coffin-inspired packaging that reinforces the collaboration’s playful theme.
🎉 News to Celebrate
🥛 Chobani Mobilizes Partners to Address Food Insecurity
Chobani brought together more than 150 business and community partners for its fourth annual Let’s Eat Week, distributing 14,000 pantry boxes, donating over 500,000 pounds of food, and supporting food-access initiatives across 15-plus cities in four countries. Held October 12–16 in recognition of World Food Day, the 2026 initiative focused on improving access to nutritious food through coordinated community action. The program reached approximately 56,000 people through pantry box distributions, provided more than 50,000 meals, and donated over 52,000 pounds of fresh produce as part of its total food contributions. With more than 45 events across four countries, the initiative highlights the role of business and community partnerships in addressing food insecurity at scale.
⚡ Lucky Energy Unveils Bold New Brand Identity
Lucky Energy, founded by Richard Laver, has unveiled a bold new brand identity for its energy drinks and gummies, introducing refreshed packaging and enhanced gummy formulations as it targets 17,000 retail locations nationwide by the end of 2026. Developed in collaboration with creative agency Dayjob, the rebrand introduces black-and-white packaging, colorful flavor graphics, and clearer communication of functional benefits. The energy drinks retain their existing zero-sugar, zero-calorie formulas, caffeine levels, sizes, and pricing, while the gummies now contain more fiber. Rolling out during the fourth quarter of 2026 at select retailers, Amazon, and the brand’s website, the refresh accompanies Lucky Energy’s continued retail expansion.
🍛 Deep Indian Kitchen Surpasses $100 Million in Annual Sales
Deep Indian Kitchen has surpassed $100 million in annual retail sales, reaching $100.9 million across more than 26,000 stores nationwide while parent company Deep Brands appoints Maria McManus as SVP of Marketing to support continued growth. The milestone reflects syndicated retail sales for the 52 weeks ending September 6, 2026, as the frozen Indian food brand continues expanding its national presence. Deep Indian Kitchen now accounts for more than 50% of the U.S. frozen Indian food segment and holds the position of the fastest-selling natural frozen entrée brand, according to the company. McManus, who previously spent five years helping develop the brand, returns to lead marketing across Deep Indian Kitchen, newly launched frozen Thai brand Tem Toa, and the broader Deep Brands portfolio.
🍲 Beck’s Broth Celebrates $2.5 Million Sales Milestone
Beck’s Broth, founded by Domenique Mastronardi, has reached $2.5 million in sales as of October 19, 2026, marking another milestone just over three years after launching from its farmers’ market beginnings. The achievement follows a period of growth for the brand, which officially launched on September 21, 2023, after nearly two years of selling at farmers’ markets. Beck’s Broth previously reached its $1 million sales goal on July 4, 2025, just nine months after setting the target. Its latest milestone reflects continued momentum supported by the company’s team, retail partners, and growing customer community.
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