The sleep revolution 😴

+ Newtopia themes and our favorite finds

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Now, let’s get into the news of the week →

News From the Week

Last week, we had the absolute pleasure of attending the natural consumer products trade show, Newtopia Now!

We have way too much to say about it, so we summed up the show’s themes and some of our favorite new food + bev finds here:

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CPG & Consumer Goods

• AG1 is getting sleepy. AG1 officially launched AGZ, its first new non-greens product in 15 years! It’s a melatonin-free nighttime drink designed to enhance restful sleep using clinically-studied ingredients (like magnesium and L-Theanine). AGZ is available exclusively in single-serve packets.

  • Sleep is big business these days. Just last week, Eight Sleep raised a whopping $100MM at a $2B+ valuation for their smart mattress technology. The company has already generated over $500 million in Pod sales and is expanding into AI-powered sleep optimization and medical applications.

  • The global sleep aids market is valued at ~$80+ billion and is projected to reach $160 billion in the next decade. The sleep supplement market alone is expected to grow from $7.6 billion in 2024 to $12.9 billion by 2034.

  • Dedicated sleep brands like MoonBrew, Cuddle Sleep, Som Sleep, Loftie alarm clocks, and Dryft Sleep are carving out market share. Meanwhile, other wellness brands are launching sleep extensions: Lemme has viral sleep gummies, The Absorption Company offers “nano-enhanced” sleep formulas, and major brands like Natrol recently launched their Sleep & Restore line with NFL quarterback Josh Allen.

• Say goodbye to a good one. After four years, Spindrift is discontinuing its spiked RTD line to refocus on sparkling water and non-alcoholic innovations.

  • I posted a video to TikTok about this and so many comments mentioned that the news of it being discontinued was the first time they ever heard of the product. I thought with the Spindrift name behind it, it would have been more widely known but I guess not! I personally liked the product a lot. - N

• MrBeast goes beyond the bar. Feastables launched Protein Fortified Whole Milk, with 13g of protein alongside a hefty 23g of sugar per serving. Based on its nutritional profile (ignoring the sugar), it bears a striking resemblance to Carnation Breakfast Essentials shakes.

  • We reached out to MrBeast for a quote (insane sentence) and he emphasized the fact that they’re using real milk and ethically sourced cocoa.

  

• Creatine is all the rage. Bloom Nutrition launched new creatine gummies (ft. 5g of creatine) available exclusively on TikTok Shop.

  • They join the likes of Create, a leader in the creatine gummy space—by a lot. The company raised $5MM in 2024 and is on track to surpass over $24 million in sales in 2025 (according to Particl data).

    • P.S. Create is hiring for a ton of roles right now!

  • Bloom is revealing some interesting insights here:

    1. The brand’s predominantly female audience is craving new formats of creatine (beyond their powders), even though this ingredient has historically been associated with masculine branding + messaging. As a girl who (sometimes) lifts, I’m all for this.

    2. Their TikTok audience would be the primary driver of this product, hence the TikTok shop exclusivity.

    I’ll be curious to track the success of this launch—if a beloved brand like Bloom can nail it, I predict that creatine will be the next big supplement takeover. - J

• Sauce meets protein. She’s The Sauce is launching high-protein Honey Mustard and Creamy Ranch sauces, each packing 4g of protein per serving.

• Moving beyond hair. Tracee Ellis Ross is expanding her Pattern brand into body care with five hydrating products, all featuring the signature Midnite Amber scent. The collection includes body wash, oil, lotion, cream, and a dry exfoliating scrub, priced between $32-36.

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Retail

• Target’s leadership shakeup. Target's CEO Brian Cornell announced he's stepping down after 11 years as the company faces continued and sustained sales declines.

  • Why is this happening? The backlash to Target's DEI policy rollbacks has significantly reduced foot traffic (down 4.7% in July '25). This decline, combined with fierce competition from Walmart and Amazon, further weakens their market position.

  • Investors are also concerned about the internal promotion of COO Michael Fiddelke, fearing it might reinforce groupthink and continue the same patterns that have contributed to Target's struggles.

• Meanwhile at Walmart...The retail giant expanded discount offerings by 30% in Q2, implementing 7,400 price reductions across products. These strategic price reductions helped drive a 4.6% sales increase as Walmart continues to attract budget-conscious shoppers despite economic uncertainties (particularly from Target)

• Again, people want to spend less. Aldi, the discount supermarket, is betting on just that. They’re set to open a 25,000-sq.-ft. store in Times Square in 2026.

  • This is part of Aldi's aggressive U.S. expansion strategy, with the chain planning to open 200 stores this year alone and grow from 2,600 locations to over 3,200 by 2028—positioning it to rival Kroger's 2,700 stores (though still trailing Walmart's 5,206 locations).

  • With customer visits surging 7% this year and prices running about 25% cheaper than typical grocery bills through their private-label focus, Aldi is capitalizing on Americans' dual demand for both discount prices and healthy options (yes, they have a Poppi dupe).

• Private Equity saves again. Claire's has been rescued from bankruptcy by Ames Watson in a $140 million deal, saving 950 stores.

  • Claire’s should be crushing it right now, but they’re not. They were a cultural staple for teens and tweens, and in this era of nostalgic retail (especially for the 90s and early oughts) it’s weird that they haven’t leaned into that. Personally, I hope to see a collab with modern brands like Susan Alexandra, Studio Cult, Vacation. There are so many cool things Claire’s could be doing! - N

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Funding news

• Is alt meat back? Better Meat Co. just closed a $31M Series A funding round, boosting its mycoprotein production tenfold to compete with beef prices by 2026.

  • Is this a signal of renewed investor confidence in the alt-protein market? Maybe. We still think there is a long way to go before these products make it truly mainstream.

• A cool boost. Mooski, a chilled oat bar brand, secured a $1.5 million Series A investment, from a single angel investor to help the brand expand its retail presence.

• Indoor farming gets a power-up. 80 Acres Farms and Soli Organic are merging to create a $200 million indoor farming powerhouse, serving over 17,000 retail locations.

  • For those new to these companies, 80 Acres Farms is a vertical farming operation founded in 2015 that uses advanced technology to grow pesticide-free produce, while Soli Organic, founded in 1989, is the leading indoor organic agriculture company specializing in USDA Certified Organic herbs and produce.

• Keychain levels up. Keychain, a platform that pairs CPGs with manufacturers, secured $30 million in Series B funding to launch KeychainOS, an AI-powered system streamlining CPG manufacturing operations.

  • With 30,000+ manufacturers and 20,000+ brands in its network, the platform aims to replace traditional ERP systems with AI-native solutions that deploy in days instead of months.

• Uncle Nearest's uncertain future. After defaulting on $108M in loans, founder Fawn Weaver is battling a receivership ruling that jeopardizes her control over the Tennessee whiskey brand. This could mean a drastic shift in leadership and ownership for a company valued at over $1B.

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