• ♠️ Nutcase Bets On Ties To Poker
• 🙅 Kroger Terminates Merger Agreement
• 🍹 Spritz Society: Should We Have A V8?
• 🚣 Alkaline Water Co. Aims to Wright Ship
• 🪞 Marketing: Two Rebrands and a Collab
• 📈 Online Grocery Sales Soar 18%
• ⏪ Recapping Nosh Live Winter 2024

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Hollywood’s cannabis king is decanting something new. 

Houseplant, the Los Angeles-based cannabis and lifestyle brand co-founded by actor and producer Seth Rogen, is moving into beverages with the U.S. launch of a four-SKU line of hemp-derived, THC-infused flavored sparkling waters, available now in select markets and online.

This isn’t Houseplant’s first venture into drinks; Vancouver-native Rogen and his brand partnered with Canadian cannabis company Canopy to introduce a naturally-flavored sparkling water with 2.5 mg of THC per 12 oz. can in 2020, available in Grapefruit and Lemon. More recently, it collaborated with flash-frozen coffee maker Cometeer Coffee on a pair of special blends.

But in moving into the increasingly crowded field of beverage brands activated by the hemp-derived THC loophole, Houseplant – which markets smoking accessories and household items designed by the noted pottery enthusiast himself – is aiming to use Rogen’s credibility with cannabis fans to plant its flag firmly in the emerging infused drinks market. Products are set to initially enter stores in Arizona, Florida, Indiana and Texas in 4-packs priced at $19.99. 

“Not every situation is right for smoking, and not everyone wants to smoke,” said Rogen in a press statement. “Houseplant beverages offer an approachable dose that’s perfect for those trying THC for the first time and for regular consumers like me who will love having a delicious, low-calorie, drinkable option. It’s sparkling water with THC in it - everybody loves a Houseplant.”

To hear from Houseplant CEO Michael Mohr about how the brand is being positioned and marketed (complete with a catchy old-school jingle), read the full story on BevNET.

New canned plant-based milk brand Nutcase is raising a tranche of new funding as it eyes 2025 as a big year of expansion. The alternative chocolate milk brand already counts record-winning professional poker player Phil Hellmuth and eSports celebrity and creator Tyler “Ninja” Blevins as early supporters but is now hoping it can use their cachet as influencers and celebrity poker stars to bring new investors to the brand.

🍓 Launched in May, Nutcase makes cashew milk in three flavors – Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate – and has targeted distribution in casinos and convenience stores in Las Vegas and across the rest of Nevada.

🤑 The brand is raising a $2.5 million round with $1.3 million of the new capital coming from strategic investors and the other $1.2 million through a crowdfunded SAFE note launching in February.

💸 The brand will take part in an upcoming X series that will track the fundraising process for businesses.

Read how Nutcase is leveraging its ties to professional card playing to lock in more celebrity support.

The Kroger Company terminated its merger agreement with Albertsons yesterday after a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission suing to block the transaction. (ICYMI: Albertsons also said "no deal" and is suing Kroger). So, what’s next?

🤑 The Cincinnati-based grocery company said it will invest in lowering prices, increasing wages and charitable contributions, and remodeling its stores. Kroger’s board of directors also approved a new $7.5 billion share repurchase authorization, which replaces its existing $1 billion program approved in 2022.

🗣️ What they said: “Kroger is moving forward from a position of strength. Our go-to-market strategy provides exceptional value and unique omnichannel experiences to our customers which powers our value creation model. We look forward to accelerating our flywheel to grow our alternative profit businesses and generate increased cash flows.” – Rodney McMullen, Kroger chairman and CEO

Catch Up Quick: No Deal (Yet): Kroger-Albertsons Merger Denied

Veggie juice in your spritz? Spritz Society said yes please, and make it bloody. The canned cocktail company has teamed up with Campbell’s O.G. vegetable drink, V8, for a Bloody Mary Spritz launching online today. The new cocktail is made with white wine, spices and ingredients “inspired by V8’s classic tomato flavor.”

🔊 “At Spritz Society, we’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what a spritz can be,” said Zach Weinreb, founder and CMO of Spritz Society.

🤳 Influencers Ben Soffer, Claudia Oshry, and Jackie Oshry kicked off Spritz Society in 2021 as a direct-to-consumer brand. Soffer (or online alias, @boywithnojob), has built a following of over 1.5 million and previously helped other creators monetize their personal brands.  

⏪ This isn’t the first collaboration with a historic company: a limited-edition product, Spritz Society Pickle by Claussen, came into being after Spritz Society teased a pickle flavor as an April Fools’ joke in 2022. The prank was met with enthusiasm from fans, inspiring the digital-first brand to make the pickle-flavored cocktail a reality. 

🚚 This round, the Bloody Mary product is scheduled to ship out to shoppers in time for another holiday, National Bloody Mary Day, on January 1.

Less than two weeks after making his return to The Alkaline Water Company, CEO Ricky Wright issued an open letter to shareholders to lay out his vision for the path ahead for the publicly-traded business.

💡 Highlights include beefing up the brand’s co-packing network and rebuilding its distribution system – including old suppliers, brokers and distributors that the company had previously worked with but cut ties with following Wright’s departure in 2022.

🗣️ What he said: “Under my previous leadership, we expanded to over 75,000 stores nationwide. We became the largest independent enhanced water company in the country. The time away has provided valuable perspective on our achievements and areas for improvement. These insights position us well for our next growth phase.”

📉 Wright came back to the company earlier this month after a tumultuous period in which the business was delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange and moved to a new ticker on the OTC market, leading to a 99% drop in stock value.

🐻 Sparkling ginseng elixir brand Bear Maple has cleaned up its packaging with a fresh new look, bearing the new name (not sorry) Bear Maple Farms with fresh fruit displayed front and center on the cans, said CEO Brian Bethke.

🌳 Functional beverage startup Crunchy Hydration also got a makeover with new branding now live on its website and social media. The CBD-infused drinks are staying in 12 oz. slim cans but introducing more saturated colors and funkier fonts for a more eye-grabbing presentation.

🏀 LaCroix is holding onto its looks for now, but the sparkling water trailblazer is entering a new multi-year partnership with WNBA team the Indiana Fever, current home of rookie superstar Caitlin Clark. The agreement includes LaCroix logo placement on the team’s warm-up jackets and shooting shirts, game clock signage, activations at games and naming LaCroix as presenting sponsor of the team’s Kid’s Club.

November’s online grocery sales skyrocketed 17.8% year-over-year to $9.6 billion, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. All three order fulfillment methods – delivery, pick-up, and ship-to-home – continue to see gains as well. 

👀 The sales uptick was primarily fueled by a 15% surge in the monthly active user (MAU) base to 77.8 million households, the second strongest year-over-year percentage change since August 2021.

🚚 Delivery sales experienced another strong month, climbing 22% to $3.9 billion and accounting for 40.6% of all online grocery sales. However, ship-to-home grew its MAU based the fastest, increasing more than 11%. 

🗣 What they said: “Supermarkets experienced a significant surge in their MAU base, benefiting from widespread and deep discounts on membership and subscription programs offered by both national and regional grocers. And, while that’s a positive sign for supermarkets, the race to retain customers and grow share-of-wallet with them is only intensifying among rivals.” - David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click

Nosh Live wrapped up last Friday after two days packed with great presentations, lively conversations and amazing networking opportunities. The CPG Week team sat down to chat about all their favorite moments from the conference including a recap of the Pitch Slam, lessons learned from presentations on-stage and how the event provides a great opportunity for brand founders and industry stakeholders to learn from each other.

Click here to listen to this week’s episode.

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