Cpgconnect // Vol. 23: Funding Wins, Energy Rush, and Holiday Market Plays
We got a lot to catch up on, hope everybody had a solid bfcm.
Fresh capital, new products hitting retail, partnerships you should know about, and founders making real moves. Energy brands are scaling, regenerative players are landing marquee collabs, and protein is having another moment with real dollars behind it.
Let’s get into it…
But before we dive in, take a quick second to fill out this form. It helps me give back to the CPG community we’re building, connect the right people, and surface new opportunities for brands looking to grow.
Brand Shoutout: Posana
Posana just announced a 500K pre-seed round and the roster behind it is serious. Backers include operators and angels from Vitamin Water, Vital Proteins, Dr. Squatch, Cluely, Corgi, Internet Money Production, Berkeley Haas, and Starlink Management. Individual believers range from Brian Cunningham and NFL legend Lawrence Taylor to creators like Salt Hank, Aaron Yeung, Fred Liu, Ben A., and Dris Elamri.
Since day one in a dorm room kitchen, the mission hasn’t changed: make protein exciting. Keep an eye out for what’s coming next and follow along at eatposana.com for new flavors soon.
Tech Shoutout: Inspired
This landed right in time for Giving Tuesday. Quick shoutout to the team at Inspired for building one of the simplest, most thoughtful ways to give back during the holiday season. Inspired lets you send free donation gifts to clients, partners, and friends. They pick a cause they care about, and a donor sponsor funds the gift in their name. No one pays and no one handles money. It’s fully powered by Inspired and The Inspired Foundation.
We now have a custom link for the CPG community. You can send a $10 charitable gift to anyone in your network, they redeem it, choose a nonprofit, and the donation is funded on their behalf.
If you want a meaningful way to say thanks this season, this is it.
Events:
RSVP - Bar CPG 12/9 (La)
RSVP - Byte’m launch party 12/9 (Nyc)
RSVP - Austin DTC Dinner 12/9 (Aus)
RSVP - Ugly Talk 12/10 (Nyc)
RSVP - CPG Coffee Club 12/10 (Nyc)
RSVP - Consumer Brews 12/10 (Nyc)
RSVP - Year End Soirée 12/10 (La)
RSVP - Holiday Happy Hour 12/10 (Nyc)
RSVP - Brewing Big: NYC Edition 12/12 (Nyc)
RSVP - Connecting Creators 12/18 (Slc)
Unwrapped w/ Chris from Sidepiece
What’s your background?
I was born in Miami and honestly school never worked for me. I was super ADHD, always distracted, and barely made it through. After graduating, I tried a bunch of different businesses and nothing stuck. I ended up taking a summer job inspecting jet engine parts, and that opened a door. I started buying and selling jet engines and ran an aviation company for about a year, but I wasn’t passionate about it. I realized I loved consumer products and helping people, so I knew I needed to make something that actually mattered to me.
What inspired you to start the brand?
My wife has an autoimmune condition and is severely allergic to milk and eggs. One day on vacation we asked ourselves: what nostalgic snack do we miss that nobody has recreated in a meaningful way? We landed on that classic cookie-and-frosting snack pack everyone remembers from the nineties. There was nothing clean, dairy-free, or gluten-free that scratched that itch. We figured if we could make something indulgent that she could enjoy and feel included in, we might be onto something real.
What did the first steps look like in starting the brand?
We literally started on YouTube learning how to make frosting and cookies without traditional ingredients. Almond flour, dairy-free, gluten-free, clean macros. It was way more chemistry than we expected. We worked with two different formulators. The first got us halfway there, the second finally nailed it. It took more than fifty iterations to get the taste, protein, fiber, and shelf stability right. The version we have now is delicious and still getting better.
What’s been the biggest challenge so far, and how did you overcome it?
There were two big ones. First, the rebrand. Our original name was “Binge Snacks,” and TikTok would literally trigger a binge eating disorder hotline screen whenever someone searched it. Our IG got suspended multiple times. We realized we needed to change the name. “Sidepiece” hit instantly because it had dual meaning: a grab-and-go snack you take anywhere, and something that feels like cheating but is actually good for you.
Second, dealing with formulation setbacks. Sometimes we hated the samples, sometimes they tasted good but didn’t hit the nutrition goals. We stayed positive, celebrated small wins, and kept reminding ourselves why we were doing this in the first place.
How are you approaching growth?
We’re launching DTC first because we want feedback fast. We’re giving away 1,000 samples to learn what flavors hit, get real consumer data, and iterate before retail. We want to earn our first customers organically through community, storytelling, and product seeding. Paid ads will come later once we’ve built a base and can lower CAC through loyalty and awareness.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to start a CPG brand?
Start posting on LinkedIn way earlier than you think. It has been the single best tool for us. If I need a formulator, I can post and get twenty leads in minutes. You never know who’s reading or who’s willing to help. It opened doors we didn’t even know existed.
And shoutout to the homie Jamil for connecting us and cookin up a mean site.
Big shout-out to Michael @ Rotten & Winston + Troy at Sauz! Both former Cpgconnect founders featured, both crushing it, and now featured on Forbes 30 Under 30. Check it out:
It’s awesome to see their hustle being recognized. Keep crushing it!
NEWS:
BUILT expands manufacturing in Utah
This one hits close to home. BUILT, the fast-growing protein bar company, has opened a second manufacturing and distribution facility in Utah. The new 132,000-square-foot space is expected to support up to 500 new jobs across the state.
The brand already operates a manufacturing facility up the road in American Fork, and this additional site indicates continued momentum and long-term investment in domestic production capacity. The expansion strengthens BUILT’s ability to scale operations, improve logistics, and keep up with category demand.
The move reflects growing confidence in Utah’s food and beverage manufacturing ecosystem and underscores BUILT’s commitment to growth in the better-for-you protein space.
BUM Energy accelerates for national expansion
I’m a big energy drink guy, so this one stands out. BUM Energy has recorded more than 800 percent year-over-year growth and recently strengthened its commercial strategy by adding several experienced hires from leading beverage companies, including Congo Brands, RYSE Fuel, and Liquid Death.
The new team members include Mark Sherer, Teyo Branwell, Frank Williams, and Tyler Larkin, each bringing category knowledge and existing retailer relationships to support distribution and velocity.
BUM Energy is preparing for significant retail scale with upcoming launches at Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Costco. Originally launched by RAW Nutrition in 2023, the brand is backed by The Quality Group and is pursuing a multi-channel growth strategy built on national retail partnerships and rapid awareness in the energy category.
Liquid Death drops Sparkling Energy early
Big energy drink guy over here. Liquid Death decided not to wait until early 2026 and launched its Sparkling Energy line ahead of schedule. It’s already live on Amazon.
The formula is simple and clean: 100 mg of caffeine, 5 calories, and 0 sugar per can. Early flavors include strawberry, tropical, and citrus variations with the same branding edge the company is known for.
Liquid Death continues to expand beyond water and flavored seltzer, building a broader functional portfolio and pushing further into the energy category as consumer demand continues to grow.
TRUBAR, based in Vancouver and known for its clean ingredient nutrition bars, has been purchased by Turkish food company ETİ Gıda in a deal reported at C$201 million. The brand launched in 2019 and has since expanded distribution to more than 15,000 retail doors across the United States.
Revenue climbed past $50 million in 2024, and internal projections show the business reaching roughly $100 million in 2026 if current momentum holds.
This continues a noticeable run of activity in the protein bar category. BUILT Bar brought on bankers, Ferrero picked up Power Crunch, and 1440 Foods acquired FitCrunch. More moves are likely as growth and consolidation accelerate heading into 2026.
Grüns is entering the pre-workout space with a new energy gummies line called Jüced. The launch pushes the brand further into functional nutrition, offering a portable format designed for quick energy before workouts or busy days.
The branding and visual identity stand out in a crowded category. Art direction courtesy of Blake Vallotton.
Jüced positions Grüns to reach consumers looking for convenient energy alternatives outside traditional powders or drinks, and signals continued innovation within functional gummies and the active lifestyle space.
Ripple Foods raises $17 million
Ripple Foods, a leading brand in the high-protein plant-based milk category, has secured $17 million in new funding. The round was led by Material Impact and Rich Products Ventures, with participation from existing investors including S2G Ventures, Prelude Ventures, and Fall Line Capital.
The capital supports continued growth in dairy alternatives, where demand remains strong for clean ingredients, higher protein content, and better taste profiles. Ripple is positioning itself to expand both retail presence and product innovation within the plant-based beverage space.
Erewhon partners with FOND Regenerative
Erewhon has introduced a Spicy Bone Broth Hot Chocolate for the month of December in collaboration with FOND Regenerative. The drink combines FOND’s Ginger and Cayenne Beef Bone Broth with coconut milk, cacao, cinnamon, cayenne, and maple syrup to create a seasonal take on classic hot cocoa.
FOND continues to gain traction in retail. The brand has tripled Shopify revenue since 2021 and recently expanded into Albertsons, Whole Foods Market, and additional SKUs at Sprouts. As the first regenerative verified bone broth company in the category, FOND sources exclusively from U.S. farms and ranches committed to improving soil, water, air, and animal welfare.
That’s a wrap for this week.
Whether you’re launching your first SKU, landing that Whole Foods deal, or just trying to keep up with what’s next in CPG, we’ve got you.
If you’re a CPG brand or startup looking to scale in 2026, take a minute to fill it out. CPG Connect was built to connect good people, share resources, and create opportunities that help everyone grow.
Catch you next week ✌️
Zach
P.S. If you liked this one, pass it along to a friend, teammate, or founder who’d appreciate it. And hit reply anytime, I read every note.
Love this!
Great rundown ✨👏