What's in a brand name?
CPG and Retail news from the week of 4/28/25
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News From the Week
You know that iconic yellow can of yerba mate you grab at Whole Foods when you need an energy boost? Turns out, it always had a name…and now it has a new one.
After decades as Guayakí (because somehow it wasn’t actually called “that yellow can”), the brand is officially rebranding to Yerba Madre—a name that better captures what they've always been about (and might actually stick).
The rebrand rundown: The new name translates to "Mother Herb"—honoring both Mother Earth and the indigenous knowledge at the heart of yerba mate cultivation. Here’s why it makes sense:
The company was an early mover in regenerative agriculture, building its supply chain around shade-grown, biodiversity-friendly yerba mate decades before “regen ag” became a buzzword—AKA, Mother Earth groupies from the start.
This simple name is a play on what consumers already use to describe it. They're not trying to be something they're not; they're just making it easier for people to recognize who they've always been.
And the timing couldn’t be better. This rebrand hits right as the market for natural energy drinks is absolutely booming. While the broader energy drink category (valued at $61-74 billion) grows at an impressive 7.3-8.8% annually, the organic segment specifically is outpacing the overall market at 10.3% growth.
…which is impressive for a brand that’s been around for 30 years, and avoided outside investment for over two decades.
It wasn't until December 2017 that Guayakí secured its first significant external funding of $6 million—followed by several more funding rounds culminating in a substantial $75 million raise in January 2023.
Our take? This rebrand is a smart and simple evolution that makes the product more accessible while doubling down on what makes the brand special. And with 30 years of category leadership under their belt and energizing the functional beverage space well before it was trendy, Yerba Madre isn't just keeping up with the times—it’s continuing to define them.
CPG & Consumer Goods
New “logo” and new packaging??
KIND is testing a recyclable paper wrapper for its Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bars this summer, aiming to enhance the sustainability. The initiative is part of the company's goal to make all packaging recyclable by 2030.
They also showed off their new logo and folks had some thoughts… including Walmart (lest we forget their similar logo “redesign” earlier this year).
damn Walmart, you didn’t have to be so sassy! 30 years. That’s how long it took Uncrustables to launch their first-ever limited edition flavor, and guess what? It’s just peanut butter and jelly. But it’s a mixed berry spread, so different of course…
For a $1 billion brand in the JM Smuckers portfolio with so much cultural cache to simply launch another PB&J as an LTO feels…odd. What about a fluffernutter ft. Dandies Marshmallow spread? A PB Banana iteration? Just… something different?!
So many smaller, scrappier brands have gotten seriously creative with LTOs, using them as an opportunity to collaborate with other brands, introduce a funky flavor, or just get weird with packaging/format/delivery. This feels like another example of how emerging brands win on the innovation front time and time again…and how much BigCos still can learn from the small guys.
Now this is a great LTO. Tate’s Bake Shop partnered with happy Products to launch a limited-edition line of cookie and coffee products, available exclusively at Walmart. The collab goes both ways: Tate’s flavored coffee drinks and happy coffee flavored Tate’s cookies (now that’s some collab innovation).
As we shared in last week’s Weekly Pickups, we had the pleasure of catching up with happy products co-founder and CEO Craig Dubitsky at Expo West this year—and it sounds like their business is doing damn well. Love to see this soon-to-be coffee icon team up with a cookie legend like Tate’s.
eCommerce
Online shopping is changing, fast. ChatGPT is introducing new shopping features to its AI tool. The update brings product recommendations, visual previews, and customer reviews. Set to roll out platform-wide, this enhancement positions ChatGPT as a direct competitor to Google's shopping experience.
Obviously the big players don’t want to be left behind. Amazon, Google, Walmart, Target have all added new AI shopping features to their apps and sites. But we’ll see—ChatGPT and Perplexity could have a significant impact on this space.
Honestly, what's going on with Saks? They can't pay vendors…but decide to partner with Amazon Fashion to launch a Saks-branded luxury storefront on Amazon?
now you can by a $5 and $5,000 bag on amazon. Incredible…. This makes more sense for Amazon, as they have been actively expanding their luxury presence. They've added verified premium beauty brands like Clinique, Kiehl's, and other high-end skincare lines to their Premium Beauty store, showing they’re trying to become a trusted destination for luxury shopping.
BuzzFeed just got even more shopper-friendly. The company is now partnering with the Shopsense AI livestream shopping platform to integrate context-aware product recommendations directly into articles.
The end of Temu? Temu halted shipments directly from China due to the expiration of the de minimis rule. Consequently, the company has shifted to displaying only products shipped from U.S. warehouses, raising prices and altering its business model to comply with new tariffs.
Retail
Back from the Beyond. Beyond Inc., owner of Bed Bath & Beyond, BuyBuy Baby, and Overstock, plans to open several physical stores, including one BuyBuy Baby location in Nashville and four Overstock stores to enhance fulfillment.
Walmart is the new Targét. Walmart opened its first new Supercenter in 4 years as part of its national growth strategy, featuring a modern design, expanded services, and enhanced shopping options.
This is all part of a sweeping five-year plan to build or convert over 150 stores, remodel hundreds more, and expand its digital reach through Walmart.com, Walmart+, and even a partnership with Shopify. All moves that uniquely position it to take share from both Target and Amazon. With 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart, the retailer is not only leveraging unmatched physical proximity, but also attracting higher-income shoppers traditionally loyal to Target, all while scaling up its omnichannel and e-commerce capabilities to rival Amazon’s dominance.
Funding news
An energizing raise. GORGIE, a wellness-focused energy drink brand, raised $24.5 million in Series A funding, bringing its total to $37 million since launch. The brand, founded by Michelle Cordeiro Grant, is expanding to ~2,000 Target stores this summer. They previously raised a pre-seed round of $6.5 million in June 2023, a massive pre-seed round if you ask me.
Too many house of brands. Conagra Brands is selling the Chef Boyardee® brand to Hometown Food Company for $600 million in cash. This move aims to reshape Conagra's portfolio for long-term growth. Boyardee joins the ranks of Pillsbury, Birch Benders, and Hungry Jack.
A first for many.
RX3 Growth Partners has led a strategic growth investment in Truvani, a clean-label nutrition brand, marking its first external funding since its launch in 2017.
True Classic, an apparel brand known for everyday basics, has secured a growth investment from 1686 Partners, marking its first institutional funding round.
A boozy consolidation. High Basin Brands, a Texas-based spirits company, has acquired Can-Tini, a premium ready-to-drink espresso martini brand known for its nitrogen-infused cocktails. The acquisition aims to enhance High Basin's portfolio, which includes other notable brands like Treaty Oak Distilling and Ghost Hill Organic Vodka.
Grocery eComm tech grows. Instacart acquired Wynshop, a provider of eCommerce solutions for grocers, to enhance its enterprise technology offerings and strengthen relationships with retail partners.
Weekly Pickups
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