CPG Connect // Vol. 8: Back-to-School Buzz, Spicy Collabs & Muscle Milkshake Moves
Back-to-school season isn’t just for students, brands are hitting the reset button too. From creator care packages and spicy collabs to protein-packed innovation and hydration plays, this week’s launches show how CPG is leaning into culture, convenience, and category expansion.
The Summer of AI, Cutting Through the Noise.
This summer, AI has moved past the hype and into execution. Brands are no longer asking “what if”—they’re asking “what’s working.”
On August 28th, Lunar Solar Group joins leaders from TripleWhale, Novel, Rep AI, Tommy John, and HiTide for a session on real AI use cases driving revenue today. Expect sharp, no-fluff insights on how AI is reshaping workflows and showing up inside the tools you already use.
Visitour Media Launches Back-to-School Creator Care Packages
Gen Z media brand Visitour Media (225K+ followers across socials) is kicking off the school year by sending out Back-to-School care packages to its roster of 20+ top-tier college creators and athletes.
The initiative welcomes their 2025–26 College Creator cohort with a curated mix of favorite brands—getting products directly into dorm rooms, backpacks, and campus content. With creators averaging 10K–100K+ followers each, the program offers brands a chance to land in the hands (and potentially on the feeds) of authentic student voices shaping Gen Z culture.
If you’re a brand looking to connect with college consumers through creators, this is a low-lift, high-impact opportunity to seed product and build organic buzz. Reach out to ben@visitour.me or visit visitourmedia.com to learn more.
Events
RSVP - Coffee Meetup @ Newtopia Now 8/22 (Den)
RSVP - DTC Brand Dinner 8/27 (Nyc)
RSVP - RESET: Health & Wellness Event 8/28 (La)
RSVP - Nyc Commerce Mixer 9/9 (Nyc)
RSVP - End Of Summer Party 9/13 (Slc)
RSVP - Q4 Summit 9/16 (Nyc)
RSVP - Ultimate Casino Night 9/17 (Chi)
RSVP - Magic Show 9/17 (Chi)
RSVP - A Taste Of Chicago 9/18 (Chi)
RSVP - Pre-Grow Coffee + DJ 9/26 (Nyc)
Unwrapped w/ Brooke Yoakam
1. Intro & Origin: What did you see happening in CPG that made you need to speak up?
For me, it really started with seeing the wave of change post-COVID. Legacy brands suddenly felt threatened. You had aisles shifting overnight — new brands popping up, packaging evolving, consumers way more educated than ever before. As someone who was already drawn to discovering new brands as a consumer, then getting to work with them up close on the service side, it felt like a front-row seat to a massive industry shift. I couldn’t just watch it happen — I wanted to highlight the teams, the innovation, and the dynamics behind it.
2. Trend Spotting & Trend Fatigue
The “functional everything” boom is real. Drinks with not just electrolytes, but magnesium, ashwagandha, adaptogens… even functional body wash. Some of that is exciting, some of it feels like a stretch. The real test is whether these products work and taste good, not just whether they can be marketed as multifunctional. I think the best plays will lean into a single strong benefit (like hydration) and then let the extras be a value-add. What fatigues me? Seeing protein slapped onto desserts or “better-for-you” claims that don’t really deliver.
3. Most Creative Distribution Play & Why It Matters
I’ve loved seeing brands skip the crowded Whole Foods/Target route and instead tap overlooked but high-frequency spots. Think BTR Nation building presence in coffee shops, or Leisure Hydration showing up through Earth Bar inside Equinox. Those channels matter because they’re repeat touchpoints with exactly the right consumer. It’s also smart because it proves loyalty and purchase intent versus just flooding New York or LA with free product. Brooke and I both agreed — untapped markets like the Midwest are where a lot of loyalty can actually be built.
4. Brand Building & Operator POV: Founder Mindset That Needs to Shift
Founders need to accept their product is not for everyone. If you’re building a premium bar at $4, you just priced out a large portion of America. That’s not failure — that’s focus. Once you internalize that, your marketing gets sharper, your distribution strategy makes more sense, and you stop chasing mass-market dreams prematurely. Either embrace niche premium or intentionally design for mass — but stop trying to do both.
5. Looking Ahead in 2025: Hot Take
Discretionary income is tightening. Consumers are going to be far more selective with every purchase. That means if you’re building in CPG, you have to position your product as a need — not a “nice-to-have.” Electrolyte brands nailed this: hydration went from optional to essential. If you can’t tell that story convincingly, you’ll get cut when wallets get tight.
Quick Takes
“What’s one CPG buzzword you’re officially retiring?”
Functional. Also “modern soda.” Let’s just call it what it is.
“Most underrated growth lever in Consumer Brands?”
Owning a repeatable content series on TikTok or IG. A weekly “mini TV show” your audience comes back for. Cheap, scalable, and criminally underutilized.
“If you launched a brand tomorrow, I’d ignore ______.”
Hype without substance. “Better-for-you” only works if it actually is. No cutting corners with fake health halos.
News
BUILT Bar, known for its marshmallow-like Puff texture, just launched a bold new line: Sour Puff Protein Bars. The lineup features candy-inspired flavors — Blue Razz Blast, Peach Punch, and Green Apple Crush — wrapped in a tangy sour coating with sugar sprinkles. Each bar delivers 16g protein, 150 calories, and 8g sugar.
The launch is already sparking conversation. Fans call it a fun mash-up of candy nostalgia and functional snacking, while critics point to palm kernel oil, confectioners’ glaze, and collagen protein as drawbacks. Notably, BUILT is avoiding FD&C dyes, opting instead for natural colors like spirulina and beta-carotene.
From a CPG lens, this checks three boxes: flavor innovation, playful positioning, and category disruption. BUILT isn’t just chasing macros — it’s betting that protein bars can win by being fun first, functional second.
Feastables Expands Into Functional Beverages with Protein Chocolate Milk
Better-for-you snacking brand Feastables is moving beyond bars with the launch of a functional chocolate milk line, packing 13g of protein per serving and rolling out nationwide at Walmart.
Founded in 2022 by Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, Feastables has quickly become a leading challenger in the confectionery space, and this move marks its first step into the $20B+ functional beverage market.
The chocolate milk is made with whole milk, fair-trade cocoa, and milk isolate to balance indulgence with function. Early rollout is focused on Walmart, with additional retail partners like Target and 7-Eleven on deck.
With a viral brand engine and a loyal Gen Z following, Feastables is positioning itself to expand from “better-for-you chocolate” into a broader platform of functional indulgences—setting the stage for further beverage and snacking innovation.
Liquid I.V. Teases First RTD Hydration Line
Powdered hydration giant Liquid I.V. is preparing to enter the ready-to-drink space, teasing its first-ever pre-mixed canned beverage.
Founded in 2012 and acquired by Unilever in 2020, Liquid I.V. has built a dominant position as the U.S. leader in powdered hydration, now available in over 80,000 retail doors and expanding globally. The move into RTD marks a strategic category expansion, offering convenience for on-the-go consumers who want hydration without mixing.
The teaser follows a wave of brand activity—including refreshed packaging, the LIV Hydrascience platform, and high-visibility campaigns like “I.V. O’Clock” in Times Square.
With RTD hydration growing rapidly, Liquid I.V.’s entry positions the brand to capture incremental market share while reinforcing its identity as a functional hydration powerhouse.
Fly By Jing x Little Fat Boy Reimagine Ketchup with Sichuan Heat
Fly By Jing has teamed up with Asian American food creator Frankie Gaw (aka Little Fat Boy) to debut a limited-edition Chili Crisp Ketchup.
The collab infuses America’s most iconic condiment with Fly By Jing’s signature Sichuan flavors—maple syrup for sweetness, umami from mushroom and seaweed powders, and a numbing kick from Sichuan peppercorns. Packaged in a nostalgic squeeze bottle, the $15 release blends comfort food nostalgia with bold Asian flavor.
“We’ve always been inspired by Frankie’s ability to remix nostalgic American eats with Asian flavors,” said Jing Gao, founder and CEO of Fly By Jing. “With the launch of our Chili Crisp Ketchup, we’re excited to bring ketchup back to its little-known Chinese roots by infusing it with heat, heritage, and Sichuan soul.”
The product not only underscores Fly By Jing’s role as a flavor innovator but also positions the brand at the intersection of premium condiments, culinary storytelling, and cultural mashups.
OIKOS® Launches FUSION™: Cultured Dairy Drink Designed for GLP-1 Users
Danone North America’s leading high-protein yogurt brand, OIKOS, is stepping into functional dairy innovation with the debut of OIKOS FUSION™—a first-of-its-kind cultured drink created to help build and retain muscle mass during weight loss.
Formulated with the patented Advanced FUSION Blend™ of whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D, each 7oz bottle packs 23g of complete protein, 5g of prebiotic fiber, and essential vitamins (D, B3, B12) with 0g added sugar—all in a convenient, lactose-free format.
The launch comes as nearly 10% of Americans use GLP-1 medications, with research showing up to 20% of weight lost on these drugs can come from muscle. By targeting this gap, OIKOS FUSION aims to serve a rapidly growing consumer group seeking nutrient-dense, science-backed solutions.
Rolling out this month at Walmart and expanding to national retailers this fall, OIKOS FUSION reinforces Danone’s strategy of pairing nutrition science with consumer insight to create category-defining products in functional dairy.
Brand Shoutout: www.dirtbagbar.com - Dirtbag Bar isn’t just another energy bar, it’s a thoughtful, whole-food alternative built to fuel endurance, backed by clean ingredients and a simple, effective design.
That’s it for this week.
Whether you're launching your first SKU, scaling into Whole Foods, or trying to stay ahead of what’s breaking through, CPG Connect is here to help you keep pace.
ALSO, message back if you are going to be around at Newtopia Now on Friday this week!
See you next week✌️
— Zach
P.S. If this was helpful, feel free to pass it along to a friend, teammate, or founder in your orbit. And hit reply anytime, I read every note.