Five weeks ago I said the Van Leeuwen trade dress ruling was the most important thing that happened in CPG that month. Rebel Creamery filed for Chapter 11 on August 14, twenty-nine days after the judgment.
The filing lists $13.78 million in assets against $23.85 million in liabilities, and the judgment is essentially all of it. A packaging design decision made in 2018 ended a company in 2026.
This week:
Rebel Creamery files Chapter 11. Van Leeuwen never claimed the name or logo was copied. It claimed the pint. The court took Rebel's own sales figures and cut a third to separate real keto demand from copied packaging, and what was left still ended the business. Plus the customer email from 2024 that became evidence in a federal courtroom.
Sazerac buys Au Vodka in a reported £500 million deal. Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn each clear over £100 million. Sazerac spent it three weeks after Brown-Forman's family rejected its $15 billion offer for the second time.
Zevia's activist wants a sale. 41,000 doors, $161 million in sales, and a market cap just north of $100 million. Broad distribution is not a moat. It is an operating expense that happens to also be a milestone.
Essity buys Kenvue's Brazilian feminine care business for $284 million. Portfolio surgery seen from the buying side.
Funding: Mid-Day Squares raises $8 million in debt for Costco capacity, UNDO lands 900 Target stores after building 1,000 independents first, Lily Collins joins IM8, and A1R Water lists on Nasdaq via SPAC.
Creatine becomes a line extension. Magna, Salud, and Tonic all added it in a single week. Nobody is launching creatine brands anymore.
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The $23.8 Million Pint: Rebel Creamery Files Chapter 11
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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