This week in CPG, the beverage sector continues to take center stage—from cannabis expansions and celebrity launches to premium RTDs and grocery aisle debuts. Meanwhile, bold moves from mac & cheese disruptors and coffee chains signal that brands are positioning not just for growth, but for long-term placement across multiple channels. Here’s what happened and why it matters.
Mela, known for its watermelon water line, has joined King Juice Company’s Calypso platform. The move gives Mela access to an established distribution and retail network, setting the brand up for deeper penetration across grocery and convenience channels.
Canadian cannabis company Organigram is entering the U.S. through the acquisition of Collective Project, a cannabis-infused beverage brand with products already sold across 20 states. The deal includes plans to retain the current team and deepen Collective’s state-by-state market presence.
Actor Glen Powell has introduced a new condiment brand called “Double Barrel,” which is expected to hit shelves at Walmart. The launch includes a ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce—each designed with a Southwestern twist and clean label positioning.
Cannabis beverage brand Wynk has released a new 10mg lemonade seltzer line, aimed at consumers looking for higher-dose options with fruit-forward flavor profiles. This adds to their existing 2.5mg and 5mg SKUs and suggests confidence in the maturing THC beverage space.
GOODLES has added three new mac & cheese varieties to its lineup: Truffle Trouble, Smokey Dokey, and Miso Magic, the latter developed in partnership with Omsom. The brand continues to stretch the boundaries of what boxed mac can be, blending bold flavors with better-for-you credentials.
Tequila Ocho has released a limited expression aged in Old Fitzgerald bourbon barrels. This crossover experiment reflects the growing influence of whiskey culture in agave spirits, aiming to attract premium consumers seeking layered flavor experiences.
Penelope Bourbon is expanding beyond straight whiskey with a ready-to-pour Peach Old Fashioned. The move taps into convenience-driven demand for premium RTDs that deliver cocktail-bar quality in a bottled format.
Dutch Bros is officially entering the retail game with its first-ever CPG coffee line, including canned cold brews and espresso beverages. Known for its drive-thru culture, this marks a strategic expansion into grab-and-go retail.
Premium soda brand Something & Nothing has closed an equity funding round to scale its presence in the U.S. and UK. Known for its minimal design and elevated flavor profiles, the brand plans to expand both retail and on-premise presence in 2025.
The cannabis beverage category continues to formalize. Organigram’s acquisition of Collective Project and Wynk’s rollout of 10mg SKUs both point to a new baseline of legitimacy—more than branding, this is now about distribution, formats, and consumer segmentation. Beverage players in this space aren’t testing—they’re scaling.
Something & Nothing showing that the premium soda and cocktail-adjacent space is attracting serious capital. These are not novelty brands—they’re investing in multi-channel strategies and consumer experiences that cross alcohol, cannabis, and sober occasions. And they’re doing it with a clear visual and flavor identity.
GOODLES and Glen Powell’s Double Barrel show that CPG is still a place where storytelling sells—whether it’s an adventurous mac flavor or a celebrity taking their shot at ketchup. But it only works when brands can back up the story with product and placement, like GOODLES’ Omsom collab or Double Barrel’s Walmart rollout.
Dutch Bros’ move into retail highlights how even experience-driven brands are thinking shelf-first in 2025. And Tequila Ocho’s barrel aging points to the continued blending of spirits culture, where finishing techniques have become a branding tool as much as a production one.
Beverage brands—whether functional, infused, or flavor-forward—are pushing beyond novelty into long-term growth bets. This week’s news shows a sector leaning into clarity of format, flexibility of channel, and sharper positioning across both brand and product. For talent, it’s a signal that operators with multi-channel experience, strong retail relationships, and category fluency will be in high demand.