THE DEETER DIGEST 🥣
Your weekly bowl of CPG news, served with a side of spice
Issue #24 | April 13, 2026
🥄 FIRST BITE
The appetizer before we dive in
Welcome back. Unilever wasted zero time. Two weeks after merging its food division with McCormick and pocketing $15.7 billion in cash, Unilever spent $1.2 billion of it acquiring Grüns — a greens supplement brand that scaled to $300M in annual revenue in under three years. First acquisition post-food-spinoff. Straight into wellness. Exactly as we predicted.
Meanwhile, the Puig and Estée Lauder founding families are meeting this week to discuss their potential $40 billion merger. David Protein’s class action lawsuit was dropped — and the brand immediately launched at Costco, though co-founder Zach Ranen quietly left in February to start something new. Reale Actives, Alix Earle’s skincare brand, did $1 million in sales in under 5 minutes. Target is tripling its THC beverage footprint from 10 stores to 70+. And Michael B. Jordan’s sea moss brand MOSS hit pause for restructuring — another celebrity CPG cautionary tale.
The theme this week is deployment. The war chests are loaded. The capital is moving. And the brands that built velocity over the past two years are getting their billion-dollar moments. Let’s dig in.
🍊 THE MAIN COURSE
This week’s biggest CPG moves
Unilever Acquires Grüns for $1.2B — The War Chest Deploys
Unilever acquired greens supplement brand Grüns for $1.2 billion, according to Axios. Founded in 2023 by Chad Janis, Grüns scaled to $300M in annual revenue in under three years by turning daily supplementation into an enjoyable habit through grab-and-go gummy bears. The brand ships 10 million gummies daily, has over 1 million customers, and is in 7,000+ retail doors, including a recent chainwide launch at Costco. 95% of customers use the product 4-6 times per week. Grüns was valued at $500M during its Series B in 2025.
Two weeks ago, we wrote this in the P.S.: “Unilever is getting a $15.7 billion cash payment as part of the McCormick merger. If even 10% goes into beauty and wellness acquisitions, every founder in those categories should have their deal room ready.” We didn’t expect them to move this fast.
This is Unilever’s first acquisition since the McCormick food merger — and they went straight to supplements. Look at what Unilever has built in wellness over the past seven years: OLLY (2019), SmartyPants (2020), Liquid I.V. (2020, now $1B+ in revenue), Nutrafol (2022), and now Grüns (2026, $1.2B). The playbook is systematic. Each acquisition fills a specific slot: gummy vitamins (OLLY), premium vitamins (SmartyPants), hydration (Liquid I.V.), hair health (Nutrafol), greens and daily wellness (Grüns). Unilever is building the complete wellness cabinet — every daily habit, every functional need, one company. CEO Fernando Fernandez wants two-thirds of sales from beauty, wellbeing, and personal care. Every acquisition from here is building toward that target.
With $15.7B in cash from the McCormick deal and roughly $14.5B still in the war chest after Grüns, expect more acquisitions in the next 12 months. Longevity supplements, sleep, gut health, and women’s health are the obvious remaining white spaces in Unilever’s wellness portfolio. The roadmap is sitting right there for any founder building in those categories.
The velocity story is staggering. Founded in 2023. $500M valuation in 2025. $1.2B exit in 2026. Under three years from launch to billion-dollar acquisition. For context, it took Liquid I.V. roughly seven years to exit Unilever. Grüns did it in under three. The 95% repeat usage rate at 4-6x per week is the stat that made Unilever write this check — when you build a daily habit with that kind of adherence, you’ve created something that scales predictably. Unilever didn’t pay $1.2 billion for a supplement brand. They paid $1.2 billion for a daily habit.
For every supplement founder watching: Grüns just set the new benchmark. Build a daily habit. Make it enjoyable. Scale fast. The exits are real and they’re getting faster.
Puig and Estée Lauder Families Meet This Week — $40B Merger Advancing
The founding families of Puig and The Estée Lauder Companies are set to meet this week to discuss their potential $40 billion merger. The two families aim to reach an agreement in the coming weeks, according to Reuters.
We’ve been tracking this deal for three weeks. It started as exploratory talks. Then it became a serious conversation. The families are now meeting to finalize terms. The trajectory is unmistakable — this deal is happening unless something fundamental derails it.
The strategic logic hasn’t changed. Estée Lauder’s stock is down 75% over five years. Puig has the best portfolio of contemporary prestige beauty brands in the world — Charlotte Tilbury, Byredo, Dr. Barbara Sturm, Rabanne. Estée has the global distribution infrastructure. Together, they rival L’Oréal. A $40B combined valuation represents one of the largest beauty mergers in history. Both families want control — how they structure shared governance will determine whether this gets done or falls apart.
David Launches at Costco — Lawsuit Dropped, Co-Founder Exits
David Protein launched at Costco locations across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas. The class action lawsuit alleging 83% more calories and 400% more fat than labeled has been dropped. And co-founder and former President Zach Ranen quietly left the company in February to start something new.
The David saga took a significant turn this week. The lawsuit that consumed the internet — the Mean Girls comparisons, Peter Rahal’s “no one is getting Regina Georged” response, the bomb calorimetry debate — is over. Rahal maintained from the start that the testing methodology was flawed and that EPG-based caloric calculations are FDA-compliant. The dismissal vindicates that position.
With the legal cloud cleared, David is moving aggressively into Costco — arguably the most validation-heavy retailer in America. The Costco regional launch signals that the brand’s momentum wasn’t derailed by the controversy. If anything, the attention may have helped.
But Ranen’s departure is the story worth watching now. When a co-founder and former President leaves during a period of intense scrutiny and immediately starts building something new, there’s a deeper story. We’ll be watching what Ranen launches next.
💰 THE FUNDING FRENZY
Big checks being written
Peachy — Stride Consumer Partners Investment
New York-based botox provider Peachy scored an investment from Stride Consumer Partners. Founded in 2019 by Dr. Carolyn Treasure and Eric Zhang, Peachy currently operates 15 studios across six cities including Austin, Atlanta, and Charlotte. Revenue jumped more than 60% last year. Stride’s portfolio includes Chomps, Odele, Yasso, Tatcha, and Drybar.
Stride’s portfolio is one of the most impressive in consumer — Chomps approaching $900M, Tatcha sold to Shiseido, Drybar sold to WellBiz. When Stride invests, they’re seeing a brand with the operational discipline and unit economics to scale significantly. Peachy’s 60%+ revenue growth, with 15 studios and the addition of three new locations last year, shows the model is working. Med-spa and aesthetic services continue to be one of the fastest-growing consumer categories — Peachy is applying the same playbook that Drybar used for blowouts: standardize the experience, brand it beautifully, and scale through consistency.
Cadootz! — $3M+ Seed Led by Selva Ventures
Kids’ snack brand Cadootz! raised over $3M in seed funding led by Selva Ventures. Selva’s founder, Kiva Dickinson, is also a co-founder of Cadootz! alongside Rachel Mansfield and Jordan Carpenter. The better-for-you cracker line sold out in less than two hours at its debut. A major nationwide retailer launch is coming in two months.
Sold out in under two hours at launch. A nationwide retailer in two months. And the founder of Selva Ventures is a co-founder of the brand — meaning the investor-operator alignment is as tight as it gets. Selva’s portfolio includes some of the best-performing emerging brands in the natural space. When Dickinson builds something himself, the level of conviction is different from that of a standard check.
Singing Pastures — Bullish Investment
Female-founded meat sticks brand Singing Pastures scored an investment from Bullish. Founded by Holly and John Arbuckle, the brand makes pasture-raised meat sticks with bone broth and collagen. Bullish previously backed Warby Parker, Harry’s, Hu, Bubble, and several other brands.
Bullish’s portfolio reads like a hall of fame of modern consumer brands — Warby Parker, Harry’s, Hu, Bubble. When they invest in a meat stick brand, they see the same potential for cultural relevance and category disruption. Singing Pastures’ differentiation — bone broth and collagen in a meat stick — brings functional benefits to a category that Chomps and Archer proved can scale to hundreds of millions. The ancestral health positioning aligns perfectly with the consumer trend driving brands like Prima, Lineage Provisions, and others in the clean protein space.
Froot Pops — £1.5M Seed Round
UK-based Froot Pops, a purveyor of chocolate-covered frozen fruit, closed a £1.5M seed round. Investors include Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury’s, and Giles Brook, a prolific consumer investor. Founded in 2024 by Ana Martins, Froot Pops has distribution at Morrisons, Ocado, Zapp, Gopuff, and 200+ independent retailers.
The former CEO of Sainsbury’s — one of the UK’s largest grocers — investing personally in a frozen fruit brand is the strongest possible signal for UK retail distribution. King knows exactly what sells on those shelves because he ran the company that stocks them. Froot Pops hitting 200+ retailers in its first year from launch shows the product resonates.
JUUZ — 7-Figure Seed Round
German functional beverage brand JUUZ closed a 7-figure seed round from Five Seasons Ventures, Generations Fund, and angel investors. The company specializes in protein soda and is based in Baden-Württemberg.
The protein soda category continues attracting capital globally. PRODA launched at Sprouts, Dirty Pop entered the market, SkyPop went nationwide at Target — and now JUUZ is raising in Germany. The category is being built simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic.
🆕 PRODUCT LAUNCHES & INNOVATION
This week’s innovation circus
Reale Actives Does $1M in Under 5 Minutes
Alix Earle’s skincare brand Reale Actives, backed by Imaginary Ventures, hit $1 million in sales in less than 5 minutes at launch. For context, POV Beauty — another Imaginary Ventures creator brand — did $1M in 8 minutes. The acne-focused line launched with four products. When you combine the most influential Gen Z creator in America with the operational infrastructure of Imaginary Ventures, this is what happens. The question now is month-two and month-three retention.
Target Expands THC Beverages to 70+ Stores
Target is tripling its THC beverage footprint, expanding from 10 stores in the Minneapolis area to over 70 new stores across Minnesota. Brands include Cann, Hi Seltzer, Wynk, and others. When Target triples a test, the velocity data spoke. Expect more states as regulations allow.
GoodPop Fruit Sours — Sour Novelty Up 137% YTD
GoodPop launched Fruit Sours — clean popsicles with real fruit and a patent-pending sour candy coating. Available at Whole Foods, Wegmans, H-E-B, and Costco Bay Area. Since Fruit Riot launched, sour and candy-inspired novelty items are up 137% year-to-date. The category GoodPop is entering is one of the fastest-growing subcategories in frozen.
MULU — Highest-Protein Cottage Cheese at Walmart
MULU launched as the highest-protein cottage cheese brand available nationally — 18g of protein per serving versus the category standard of 12-14g. Available nationwide at Walmart. Founded by physiologist Chris Mohr and backed by Dairy Farmers of America. The cottage cheese renaissance continues with more functional positioning.
More Launches Worth Watching
Hot Ones moved beyond hot sauce with a spicy BBQ sauce line at Walmart, Kroger, H-E-B, and Jewel-Osco. Category expansion from a brand with built-in cultural relevance.
Sprinter expanded into wellness with k2o Advanced Skin Hydration — electrolytes, hyaluronic acid, and Verisol collagen peptides. Jay Hunter (ex-MaryRuth’s CRO) taking the CEO chair signals the brand is getting serious beyond RTD.
Four Sigmatic x The Boys — organic creatine coffee with 500mg Lion’s Mane and 5g creatine, created for the final season on Amazon.
MoonBrew launched Sleep + Creatine — 5g creatine, 250mg L-Theanine, 57mg magnesium. A product that helps you sleep AND build muscle. Peak 2026.
HUNDY! unveiled a brand refresh by Interact Brands (who did the Grüns refresh). Trae Young joined as investor and brand ambassador. 900 doors in under two years.
No Sugar Company launching Protein + Creatine bars — 20g protein, 5g creatine, zero sugar. Creatine stacking in every format continues.
Chee Hoo launched Protein Pops — Hawaiian frozen treats with 12g whey protein, 100 calories, no added sugar.
Bucked Up released Drive Hydration (performance electrolytes + nootropics) and Refreshers (100mg caffeine, BCAAs, L-Theanine). Two new beverage lines from the Utah supplement brand.
Dos Hombres expanded beyond mezcal into tequila.
Rhode x Justin Bieber dropping a limited-edition Coachella collection — Peptide Eye Prep, Lip Treatment, and Spotwear.
Diptyque refreshed its iconic candle range for the first time since 1963. Ten bestsellers now refillable.
Oakberry x IM8 — limited-edition smoothie and bowl collab.
Whey Water launching sparkling protein water in May — 18g whey isolate, 90 calories per can.
Perfect Snacks launched Protein + Prebiotics bars — 20g protein, 6g fiber. Amazon and TikTok Shop now, Whole Foods later this year.
Floura unveiled Brownie Batter with 15g fiber per bar.
Bobo’s refreshed Oat Bites and PB&J packaging — bolder colors, better photography.
Tru trimmed SKUs and rebranded around energy and relaxation. Toto also rebranded after doubling sales, leaning into warmth over functionality.
Kaizen unveiled a bold brand refresh for its high-protein pasta and rice line.
Drizzilicious launched Drizzled Kettle Corn in four flavors.
Vacation expanded SPF lip range with Classic Whip SPF 30 Lip Balm.
Maison Margiela launched Scentsorium — six luxury fragrances at $350 each with emotion-based names like Delight in Despair and Blaze of Stillness.
Dollar Shave Club expanded into women’s grooming — razors and shave aids from $5-$10.
Bubble launched SUN RISE mineral sunscreen stick, SPF 40, $15 at Ulta with Target and Boots coming.
Instant Hydration dropped limited-edition ICEE flavors — Blue Raspberry and Cherry.
📊 THE DATA DIGEST
Numbers that matter
Little Spoon Hits $1M Weekly at Target in Under 6 Months
Little Spoon has officially surpassed $1 million in weekly sales at Target. The company is expanding its Target assortment with six new snack SKUs including Fruit + Veggie Mini Bites and Toddler Stellar Puffs. For a brand that did $150M in DTC revenue before entering retail, hitting $1M per week at Target this fast validates that strong DTC brands can accelerate in retail, not just survive.
Shades Vegan Candy — £15M in Under a Year
Shades, a vegan candy brand created by YouTuber Niko Omilana, generated more than £15M in sales in less than a year. Retails at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and WH Smith. UK creator-led CPG is producing real revenue.
New Primal — 225% Dollar Sales Growth
Dollar sales up 225% with velocity climbing 98% in Total U.S. MULO. The clean condiment and snack brand keeps compounding.
MGP Ingredients Pausing Whiskey Production
Whiskey producer MGP Ingredients is pausing production at two Kentucky distilleries for one year starting May 1st. When producers actively cut supply, the American whiskey category is in correction mode.
MOSS Hits Pause
Michael B. Jordan’s sea moss brand MOSS is restructuring. The celebrity CPG graveyard keeps growing alongside the success stories. The difference is always repeat purchase beyond celebrity trial.
Fever-Tree — Mixed FY Results
Revenue up 4% YoY. UK dipped 2%, U.S. and Europe up 3% and 2%. Rest of world up 17%. EBITDA contracted 16%. The premium mixer category is maturing in developed markets while international drives growth.
Lifeway Expects 30%+ Q1 Growth
Lifeway Foods expects Q1 net sales to jump more than 30% on increased probiotic demand. Kefir keeps compounding.
🏪 DISTRIBUTION DOMINATION
Everyone’s everywhere
Costco Gets David
David launched at Costco in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas. Class action dropped, co-founder departed, and now Costco expansion. The brand keeps moving forward.
Whole Foods and Starbucks
Esspo launched storewide at Whole Foods Market — the espresso soda from the Refinery29 co-founders earning chainwide distribution just weeks after launching. MUSH rolling out at Starbucks and 7-Eleven simultaneously — overnight oats meeting the two largest convenience chains in America.
Target Keeps Building
BRĒZ launched their non-infused line at Target. Laoban expanding to 1,500+ Target doors — validating the $7.2M raise from a few weeks ago with massive distribution expansion. Target’s THC beverage expansion to 70+ stores signals real category commitment.
Sprouts and Natural Channel
‘nulge launched nationwide at Sprouts. Noot launched functional beverages at Sprouts. Sprouts’ incubator role never slows down.
Kroger and Regional
BERO rolled out at Kroger — Tom Holland’s non-alc beer continuing its retail march. Throne Sport Coffee now chainwide at Sheetz. GNGR Labs and CVT Soft Serve both launched storewide at ShopRite. Nightingale Ice Cream at Wegmans. Dally at Big Y. Neutonic at Gelson’s.
Albertsons Expansion
Habiza launched at Albertsons in the Southwest — the number one hummus at Erewhon now expanding into major conventional grocery. Tallow & Stone launched at Albertsons and Harris Teeter.
👋 PEOPLE MOVES
Jay Hunter took the CEO chair at Sprinter after five years at MaryRuth’s as Chief Revenue Officer. The Kylie Jenner brand is expanding beyond RTD into wellness.
Zach Ranen, co-founder and former President of David Protein, left in February and is launching something new.
BERO appointed Lauren Stubblefield (Casamigos/LALO veteran) as VP of National Accounts as the brand rolls out at Kroger.
MOSS (Michael B. Jordan) is restructuring and hitting pause on operations.
Kombucha Town sold its assets and IP to Boom Chaga’s parent after filing Chapter 11 last October.
Teasdale Foods transitioned ownership to Knighthead Capital to eliminate $300M in debt.
FORTA — performance cosmetics brand co-founded by WNBA star Lexie Hull and Stanford roommate Sarah Guller.
Initio Parfums Privés opened its first London boutique in Covent Garden after high double-digit growth. Advent acquired a majority stake in 2023.
🔥 THE HOT TAKE
My unfiltered opinion on this week’s madness
Two weeks ago I wrote that Unilever’s $15.7 billion cash payment was going straight into beauty and wellness acquisitions. I said every founder should have their deal room ready. I didn’t expect the first check to be $1.2 billion. And I didn’t expect it to happen this fast.
Grüns at $1.2B in under three years from launch. IM8 at $100M in 11 months. Mars Men at $100M in 18 months. Reale Actives at $1M in 5 minutes. Little Spoon at $1M per week at Target in under six months. The timelines keep compressing. The exits keep getting bigger. And the brands winning all share the same DNA: they solved a specific daily habit problem, made it enjoyable, and let velocity compound.
Grüns’ 95% repeat usage rate at 4-6x per week is the single most important stat in this entire newsletter. Unilever didn’t pay $1.2 billion for a supplement brand. They paid $1.2 billion for a daily habit. That’s the same reason they paid for Liquid I.V. And Nutrafol. And OLLY. Unilever is systematically acquiring every daily wellness ritual in the American consumer’s routine.
But the counter-narrative is just as loud. MOSS is restructuring. The David co-founder left. MGP is pausing whiskey production for a year. The gap between the brands that build real daily habits and the brands that build awareness is wider than it’s ever been. Grüns built a habit — 95% repeat, 10 million gummies shipped daily. MOSS built awareness. The $1.2 billion difference is the difference between a product people use every day and a product people thought about buying.
And Unilever still has roughly $14.5 billion in the war chest. Sleep. Gut health. Longevity. Women’s health. The white spaces in their wellness portfolio are the roadmap for every founder in those categories. Build the daily habit. Make it enjoyable. The buyer is sitting there with $14.5 billion waiting.
Build habits. Not hype. The market knows the difference.
🎙️ COMING TUESDAY
Unpackaged Goods Episode
Breaking down Unilever’s $1.2B Grüns acquisition and what the $14.5B remaining war chest means for the next targets. The Puig-Estée Lauder $40B merger update. David at Costco with the lawsuit dropped and a co-founder gone. Why Reale Actives doing $1M in 5 minutes and Little Spoon doing $1M weekly at Target tell you everything about velocity in 2026. Plus: POCA founders Hilary Coles and Emily Boschwitz on going from Hims & Hers to reinventing coffee syrup.
🥫 ONE MORE THING...
Before you close this tab
Two weeks ago: “If even 10% of Unilever’s $15.7B cash payment goes into beauty and wellness acquisitions, every founder should have their deal room ready.”
This week: Unilever spends $1.2B on a supplement brand that didn’t exist three years ago.
The predictions are writing themselves. Somewhere right now, a founder is building the next daily habit brand in a category Unilever hasn’t acquired yet. Sleep supplements. Gut health gummies. Longevity stacks. Women’s health. The white space in Unilever’s wellness portfolio is the roadmap. Build into it.
Until next Sunday, Jonathan Deeter Your CPG-Obsessed Friend
P.S. — MoonBrew launched Sleep + Creatine. A product that helps you sleep AND build muscle simultaneously. We’ve officially reached the point where every supplement needs to do at least two things or it doesn’t ship. Peak 2026 continues.
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