Two brands ended this week. Purely Elizabeth spent seventeen years building and was acquired by Ferrero. Alex Cooper's Unwell beverage line lasted less than two years and is reportedly shutting down after Halloween.
Cooper has one of the biggest audiences in podcasting. Elizabeth Stein has granola. Only one of those businesses is still standing.
THIS WEEK IN CPG
Ferrero agreed to acquire Purely Elizabeth, the wellness breakfast brand Stein founded in 2009. Terms weren't disclosed, and Ferrero says it will preserve the brand's identity with Stein staying on. This is a Nutella conglomerate buying credibility at the modern American breakfast table, which is the one thing it couldn't manufacture internally.
Unwell is reportedly shutting down. Unwell Media continues. The drinks do not. A huge audience generates a first purchase. Beverage economics have to generate the second one.
Nichols bought VITHIT for £64 million. The brand proved the demand. Nichols brings Vimto's route to market, which is the second company hiding inside the first one.
C&S Wholesale Grocers is taking majority control of Winn-Dixie, moving a wholesaler in front of the shelf instead of behind it.
The FDA proposed replacing the self-affirmed GRAS pathway with mandatory notification, covering ingredients already on the market. This changes the evidence burden behind your formula.
Carbliss made a limited release permanent after it hit fourth-highest SKU velocity in all of U.S. food at only 22% distribution. That's how limited releases are supposed to work. Scarcity wasn't the strategy, it was the measurement period.
Plus: Lactalis buys Saputo's UK dairy business for £988M, Zevia's board reviews a sale, inKind raises $414M, Lifeway posts its 27th straight growth quarter, and CAVA grows revenue 31.3% on 5.3% traffic growth.
THE TAKE
Distribution is not demand. Neither is an audience, a celebrity partner, or a funding announcement. Reach opens the door. Proof gets you invited back.
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Seventeen Years vs. Two: Ferrero Buys Purely Elizabeth as Unwell Shuts Down
Unpackaged Goods
Keep a pulse on the people and news shaping retail, health, wellness, and consumer packaged goods. On Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan Deeter talks with the founders, operators, and investors behind consumer brands—and breaks down the industry’s latest news, deals, and trends. From the decisions that get a product onto shelves to the forces changing what consumers buy, the show connects the stories behind the brands with the business around them. For anyone building, backing, or simply curious about what’s next in consumer goods. Presented by Deet’s Eats Media, a Pickle Advisors company.
Keep a pulse on the people and news shaping retail, health, wellness, and consumer packaged goods. On Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan Deeter talks with the founders, operators, and investors behind consumer brands—and breaks down the industry’s latest news, deals, and trends. From the decisions that get a product onto shelves to the forces changing what consumers buy, the show connects the stories behind the brands with the business around them. For anyone building, backing, or simply curious about what’s next in consumer goods. Presented by Deet’s Eats Media, a Pickle Advisors company.Listen on
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