CPG Connect // Vol. 1: Flavor, Function, and the Future of Consumer

Welcome to CPG Connect.If you’re reading this, you’re early — and we’re just getting started.
This isn’t just a newsletter rebrand. It’s a sharpened vision.
We launched back in 2024 under the name EcomConnect, but over time, the signal became clear: the best convos, most engaged readers, and strongest momentum were all rooted in one space — CPG.
So we hit pause, refocused, and came back with intention.
CPG Connect exists to cut through the noise and deliver what actually matters to operators, founders, and people building in consumer. Every week, you’ll find:
- Clips — raw, unfiltered founder convos
- Unwrapped — hot takes and deep dives with people in the game
- Brand moves, launches, and moments you should have on your radar
This week’s edition is a taste of what’s to come.
Let’s get into it.
First off, thank you to everyone who came out to our DTC Coffee Hangout this week!
Other Upcoming Events:
NYC eCommerce Dinner - July 15 (NYC)
Growth Labs w/ Gorgias – July 16 (NYC)
Bring Your Brand Hangout – July 16 (NYC)
Pong, Games, and Drinks Hangout – July 17 (NYC)
Utah Summer Family Hangout – July 23 (SLC)
Summer Fancy Food Roundup
Hot trends, standout bites, and a few brands we couldn’t stop talking about.
I spent two days eating our way through Summer Fancy Food 2025, and let’s just say, protein and matcha had the show in a chokehold.
Here’s a quick roundup of some of our favorite finds:
Cravers - Turkish hazelnuts, three clean ingredients, and a spread that gives Nutella a real reason to worry. Their cacao hazelnut blend is rich, smooth, and somehow still healthy. No palm oil, no added sugar — just good flavor, done right.
Whoa Dough - Soft-baked bars that taste like cookie dough but are gluten-free and plant-based. The Birthday Cake flavor made us do a double take.
Ripi - Restaurant-quality frozen pasta made effortless. Founded by a foodie and a pasta chef, Ripi brings chef-crafted ravioli—like short rib, sweet potato, and chicken parm—to your freezer. Flash-frozen for peak flavor, it’s pasta night, upgraded.
Scotts Protein Balls - 100% plant-based, gluten‑free, dairy‑free, soy‑free, and non‑GMO protein balls made from oats, flax, chia, nut‑free and nut butter options—no artificial sweeteners or preservatives—with 1% of sales donated to cancer research.
Farmwell - Organic, antioxidant‑rich beverages powered by Aronia berries grown on a regenerative family farm—crafted with no added sugar, preservatives, or artificial flavors.
Smul - A plant‑based health and wellness brand offering meals, bars, powders, granola and snacks made from simple, non‑GMO ingredients—designed to make healthy eating effortless for modern lifestyles.
Brez - Low-dose THC drinks that are surprisingly sessionable. Great branding, great flavor, and even better energy.
Pricklee - Prickly pear water packed with electrolytes. Hydrating, refreshing, and just different enough to stand out.
Lil Bucks - Sprouted buckwheat that's crunchy, nutrient-dense, and surprisingly versatile. We’d sprinkle this on everything.
Folkland - A Pennsylvania-based, third‑generation organic potato grower producing simple, olive‑oil‑cooked, spice‑tossed organic farm fries and other minimally processed potato products.
Little Sesame - Hummus done right. Clean, creamy, and packed with flavor. Grab the Za’atar flavor if you get the chance.
Tazzy - A women‑owned candy brand making hard candies, lollipops, and chocolate‑coated cookie bites with fewer ingredients and significantly less sugar—1% of net revenue supports metastatic breast cancer research.
Free Bird - Southern spring water sourced from Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, offered in still or sparkling tall‑boy cans—pure, no‑nonsense hydration.
Croutinis - The crunchy, high-protein crouton alternative made from tofu. Created by two food lovers in their kitchen, Croutinis are perfect for topping salads or snacking straight from the bag—low-carb, vegetarian, and keto-friendly.

Daily nutrition brand Grüns launched their Superfoods Greens Gummies in a limited edition flavor, Raspberry Lemonade. Looks like the flavor is an online exclusive. Grüns was valued at $500M earlier this year after raising $35M from Selva Ventures and other investors.

The new better-for-you soda range from Bloom is officially live and hitting shelves at Walmart as we speak. The branding is excellent and five flavors are currently available: Classic Orange, Strawberry Cream, Shirley Temple, Raspberry Lemonade, and Watermelon Lime. Bloom has already sold 35 million cans of its energy drink in less than a year so I’m particularly bullish on their BFY soda range.
From founder-backed snacks and bold rebrands to $500M valuations and retail expansion plays, the energy in consumer is real, and we’re here to track it, spotlight it, and share it with the people building in the space.
Whether you're launching your first SKU, scaling into Walmart, or just trying to keep up with what’s breaking through, CPG Connect is your pulse check on what matters.
See you next week.
Catch you next week ✌️
— Zach
P.S. If you found value in this, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague who's interested in brand building, consumer trends, or the future of retail. And as always, hit reply with any thoughts — I read every message.