GoodBelly+ Cheribundi Raise $10M Led by ECP Growth

CVS is refining a national playbook for taking better-for-you food brands from discovery to scale in the pharmacy channel. 🧭 At Nosh Live 2025, Lauren Castro, lead director of healthy consumables and grocery at CVS Health, outlined how the retailer vets emerging brands, what makes a product “CVS-ready,” and why flavor now leads while health benefits are non-negotiable. Categories from high-protein snacks to gluten-free, plant-based and “better-for-you indulgence” are seeing outsized traction, especially when products blend familiar formats with functional twists. Castro also detailed how CVS backs young brands post-launch with curated rollouts, premium placement, targeted promos and a visibility push that many startups are not expecting. 🛒📈 https://lnkd.in/gk5-Jp2Y #CPG #RetailStrategy #BetterForYou #EmergingBrands #FoodAndBeverage #CVS #OmnichannelRetail #HealthySnacking

"🍽️ People want foods that actually matter to their lives and goals. Standard offerings often miss these personal, curiosity-driven needs. Embrace The Munch helps CPG brands, food delivery services, and lifestyle companies understand how consumers explore foods for outcomes like well-being, confidence, or attraction. These insights let partners design promotions and offerings that feel relevant—and drive real engagement. 🤔 Have you ever tried a food just because you wondered if it could change something about you?"

📰 Cure Hydration Secures $5.6M to Fuel Major Retail Expansion Across National Grocers This funding round for Cure Hydration highlights continued investor confidence in the wellness tech sector, particularly in accessible hydration solutions. The strategic retail expansion into major grocery chains underscores a growing consumer demand for health-conscious beverage options, signaling an exciting trend in how everyday wellness products are reaching a broader audience. 📖 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/dgA28Hf6 #wellnesstech #markettrends #funding

January doesn’t need another innovation pipeline. Or another flavour, format or range extension rushed to market. Most food and drink brands already have plenty on the go. SKUs under pressure. Margins under strain. Retail conversations that feel harder than they used to. What’s usually missing isn’t ideas. It’s conviction. The brands that will stand out this year won’t try to do everything. They’ll choose what they want to be known for and protect it. Fewer launches. Clearer stories. Better reasons to exist on shelf and on screen. Good change in food and drink rarely comes from speed alone. It comes from focus. From knowing what to say no to, as much as what to double down on. Creativity and strategy aren’t there to dress things up. They’re there to bring confidence to the decisions that already matter. That’s where momentum starts to feel sustainable again. #FoodAndDrinkBranding #BrandStrategy #FMCGLeadership #MeaningfulGrowth #AScribeCalledQuest

This week in CPG ↓ Brand Launches & Retail Expansion: → Bronco Bagels (Dropout Companies) launches nationwide at Target with high-protein breakfast bagel sandwiches → Loopini launches at Whole Foods Market, rolling out across the Northeast and North Atlantic regions → Kindling Snacks (better-for-you pretzels) + First Day roll out nationwide at Target with dedicated endcaps → Korean Bros goes live, entering the Korean-inspired CPG space (launched by James Seo) Product expansion season is here: → GORGIE enters protein energy with a clean, protein-forward energy drink → Barebells (Vitamin Well Group) doubles down on beverages with RTD protein milk → David Protein launches Bronze, a more accessible everyday protein bar line → Mid-Day Squares debuts its first non-chocolate product: No Bread PB&J → Bloom Nutrition drops a clear protein line → The Coconut Cult introduces a 4 oz probiotic yogurt format → Sleep or Die™ launches Sleep Strips → Cymbiotika adds Liposomal Advanced Creatine → White Claw enters the N/A category → Mel Robbins launches protein shot brand Pure Genius Protein Funding, deals, and cap tables: → NextFoods, Inc. (GoodBelly + Cheribundi) raises $10M led by ECP Growth → Evergreen Waffles raises $15.2M in fresh equity → swishables closes nearly 7-figures in seed funding → Jason Kelce invests in Hank Sauce → Ja’Marr Chase joins Flerish Hydration as an investor → SAUZ brings influencers onto its cap table via Bulletpitch → Kiss Beauty Group acquires Chillhouse → Vacation Inc. explores a minority stake sale → Squared Circles gears up to launch Amulet in 2026 Unwrapped 🎙️: This week’s interview is w/ Jack Joseph, founder of rmbr kombucha. From brewing kombucha in a closet to landing real retail traction, Jack breaks down why operational fluency, foodservice-first distribution, and building a clear brand universe early made all the difference. Full breakdown in this week’s edition ↓ [https://lnkd.in/geKA6X26] Follow Cpgconnect for daily CPG updates, brand launches, and behind-the-scenes industry moves. #cpg #dtc #consumerbrands #founders #retail #foodandbeverage

The Pivot has to happen, MNCs are losing to local players in agility, speed to market, new product innovation (specially to D2C Food Brands accelerated by easy of access via platforms like Tiktok, Shoppee, Tokopedia and IG Ordering), consumers who were fiercely brand-loyal a decade ago, now thanks to chaging socio-economics, tighter spends are very open to try new products, specially in the health & wellness space.

“The global personal care market is expected to hit $758 billion by 2030, while processed food growth slows” 🎯 premiumisation & innovation.

For years, the biggest players in CPG and FMCG: Unilever, Nestlé, Kraft Heinz built their empires on food. But now? They’re making a massive pivot..if you had told me 5 years ago that these brands would be pulling back from food, I would’ve raised an eyebrow. -Unilever is cutting loose its $8 billion ice cream division, choosing to focus on higher-margin beauty and wellness. -Nestlé is doubling down on health-science-based nutrition as food brands struggle with pricing power. - #CPG giants are seeing stronger growth in self-care, supplements, and skincare than in traditional food categories. The global personal care market is expected to hit $758 billion by 2030, while processed food growth slows. Why This Shift? 1. Margins in food are shrinking. Consumers are trading down, private labels are winning, and inflation-wary shoppers aren’t absorbing cost hikes like they used to. 2. Health & wellness are driving premiumization. Customers will pay more for skincare, supplements, and functional beverages—but not for basic pantry staples. 3. Brand loyalty in food is eroding. Over 50% of consumers are comfortable switching food brands based on price, but loyalty remains strong in beauty, healthcare, and wellness. Winning Brands Are Already Moving: -L'Oréal’s skincare division posted 9.1% revenue growth last year, while traditional CPG food brands saw single-digit declines. -The Coca-Cola Company is investing in functional drinks and non-carbonated wellness categories to stay relevant. -PepsiCo’s biggest success? Gatorade’s expansion into hydration and performance-based drinks, not soda. CPG Leaders: ✅ Stop thinking of food as the core driver of growth. Instead, align with evolving consumer behavior. ✅ Invest in personalization, self-care, and functional health. That’s where demand (and pricing power) is strongest. ✅ Rethink your brand mix. Is your portfolio weighted toward categories that will still be relevant in 5-10 years? So, here’s my question to FMCG execs: Are you future-proofing your brand strategy or just managing decline? Let’s talk. #FMCG #CPG #ConsumerTrends #GrowthStrategy #Beauty #Wellness #RevenueShift #BrandEvolution

This week’s edition of the Axum Edge examines a food and beverage industry in the midst of meaningful change. Shifts in consumer behavior, regulatory pressure, and strategic repositioning are converging as new forces, from GLP-1 weight-loss pills to evolving SNAP spending dynamics, begin to reshape demand across CPG. At the same time, consolidation in health and wellness continues, with private equity staying active around functional nutrition even as overall deal volume remains selective. Add in production slowdowns at legacy brands and high-stakes pricing disputes, and it’s clear the road to 2026 will be defined by both risk and opportunity. We break down what’s moving the market and what it means for operators, investors, and brands. Read More & Subscribe Here: https://lnkd.in/eeZEapJy 

THE NEXT WHOLE FOODS EMERGES IN 2026 Voodoo Brands next prediction in our 26 for '26 series is about the opportunity gap between where American food is heading and Whole Foods' stagnation. The door is wide open for another chain to become the next WFM, and give them a true rival for the first time. ◼️ WFM's growth is about even with the industry. They've matured into a middle aged brand that still has less than 3% share of grocery. ◼️ AMZN has never been a good fit for WFM. AMZN will continue to win and grow their $100B plus consumables business, but WFM won't be the driver. ◼️ Sprouts, Fresh Market, Good Food Holdings, and others are poised to challenge. One or more of them will make an acquisition in 2026 and open runway to a $25B per year rival to WFM. ◼️ Good Food Holdings (Bristol Farms, Met Market, Lazy Acres, New Seasons, and New Leaf) is 100% West Coast. Their footprint is 100% accretive to The Fresh Market. ◼️ None of the emerging specialty chains have a Northeast presence. Does a traditional retailer like King's or Roche Bros help them penetrate the densest, richest part of the country? Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gmF7Z54Z Subscribe to get every one of our 26 predictions for 2026 in your inbox. There's a free option as well if you'd like to try before you buy.