News

Grillo’s Sells to King’s Hawaiian

Breakout Boston-based pickle brand Grillo’s Pickles has been sold to bakery company King’s Hawaiian in a deal that closed earlier this year. While exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, the Boston Business Journal reported that the company will remain in Boston, albeit with changes to the leadership team: CEO and founder Travis Grillo has left the company.

Picnik Expands Creamer Portfolio As Focus Sharpens on Function

After a two-year hiatus from launching new products, Texas-based brand Picnik is charting a path forward in retail and online beyond its roots in “butter coffee” with the release of Vanilla Oat + Collagen Adaptogen Creamer. The new addition is the brand’s first SKU with flavor, founder Naomi Seifter noted, which leans more into the brand’s message to “Make Your Morning Count.”

New Blanco From Don Julio’s Grandson Aims To Keep Tequila Honest

Prized for its quality and integrity, forgoing unnecessary additives and barrel aging to create an agave-forward spirit with a velvet finish and a universal appeal. It’s called LALO, and there’s more than one reason this tequila is being noticed.

Waterloo Sparkling Water Announces Significant New Distribution

Expanding across multiple channels of trade including Grocery, Mass, Club, Drug and E-commerce platforms, Waterloo is adding new retailer distribution totaling 3,000 doors and major market coverage, making the brand more accessible to its growing fan base, and is increasing investment in marketing to drive continued growth.

Taste Radio: Honest Tea/Beyond Meat’s Seth Goldman On Winning Hearts, Minds And Stomachs

Honest Tea co-founder and Beyond Meat chair of the board Seth Goldman discussed how his latest venture, mission-driven platform Eat The Change, fits into the context of his career and why the company led with mushroom jerky for its debut product line. He also addressed criticism of Beyond Meat products as being overly processed, the evolution of Honest Tea as a Coca-Cola-owned brand and why he occasionally eats Pringles.

BIOLYTE Expands Into RaceTrac Stores Across The South

BIOLYTE, touted as the world’s first “IV in a bottle,” has announced its retail expansion into RaceTrac stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee & Texas.

Room 9 Creative + Venture Leads $3M Round for Madre Mezcal

With a growing portfolio of natural products companies, New York-based investment firm Room 9 announced its first lead investment last week, participating in Madre Mezcal’s $3 million Series A round. Room 9 Creative + Venture is a venture capital investment firm and branding design house founded by managing partner Anish Bhatia.