Kyle Shigekuni

SAFE NOTES ARE NOW UNSAFE... OK so what is going to happen to the money that was poured into CPG Brands via these supposed SAFE Notes? Issue is that no priced round took place and now it is likely if it did happen it would be at a fraction of the valuation that was contemplated leading to massive dilution for the founder. Many have a cap...few have a floor. and unless they are converted it will be impossible to raise new money at any valuation. #cpg #safenotes #fundraising

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As the cannabis industry matures, we are starting to get reliable data. This can help make decisions based on real sales figures and not predictions. 10 years ago, there was only one state with adult use sales (#colorado) and a handful of states with medical seals. Now there is 24 sates with adult use sales and an additional 15 states with medical seals. At the moment #california leads with total seals but #michigan leads with per capita seals. #florida leads in medical seals. #missouri with a relatively small population and only 17 months since they launched their adult-use market, is already in fifth place. Thank you Debra Borchardt from Green Market Report for the financial update. #cannabisindustry #cannabiscommunity #cannabisnews #cannabiseducation #cannabispolicy #cannbislaw https://lnkd.in/gc96gcCh

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Good morning California Cannabis Industry, Today, in the economic evolution of cannabinoids (both cannabis and help), there's one question remaining: WHO WON THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  

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TECH RUINED US. You hear stories of companies doing Series after Series - it seems so glamorous to raise so much money!! But is it really? The same thing eventually happened in CPG. Easy access to money. Companies doing raise after raise after raise. Impressive... I learned the hard way that this in fact is not glamourous. Raising money is not something to really brag about no matter how great it feels. I know CPG brands that sell to MILLIONS of consumers. Yes MILLIONS. And yes its incredibly impressive to do so. But does anyone talk about what happens after? What could possibly happen when you are competing in a category where your price on shelf is $4 and under? You NEED to raise money and you NEED to have millions of customers. This is NOT tech. And those are the companies that reach that threshold. How about the ones that never get there? The story goes that you launch, raise money, spend EVERYTHING on marketing to attract customers and HOPE you get acquired. I too believed this. By the time founders get acquired they've almost completely diluted themselves anyways. I will share more on this in the weeks to come... #cpg #marketing #entrepreneurship

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Rather than going big with animal farming, The Better Meat Co. is going small with microbial farming. Hear my colleagues Dinorah (Doni) Curkendall, MBA & Moran Farhi tell that story on this new University of California, Davis podcast!

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“Growing a CPG company, especially in the food and beverage space, ‘is astronomically harder today,’. ” Paul Voge you said it, man. So many truth bombs dropped in this article about the challenges and difficulties growing and scaling a CPG brand in today’s world. The cruel reality is that it takes a whole lot of money or a whole lot of time (and most times both) along with a fair amount of luck to have a chance at making it. If you dont have a ton of money then you better have a ton of time, some good fortune, and a product that can withstand many changes of the seasons (and "trends"). For most emerging brands today its all about survival and just finding a way.  There are lots of traps out there– lots of shiny objects– lots of vanity metrics hoping to be noticed and cared about–but at the end of the day sometimes its just about living to see another one. Here’s to all you day-to-dayers and week-to-weekers out there that are all just finding a way. Keep finding it.

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Roundup of All Things CPG This Week: (Follow for weekly roundups like these every Friday) 💼 Mergers & Acquisitions → Kirin Completes Fancl Buyout: Kirin finalizes the purchase of Fancl for $1.4B, continuing its strategic shift from beer (WSJ). → Newport Craft Distilling Acquires KEEL Vodka: Newport Craft adds KEEL Vodka to its portfolio (PR Newswire). → Walmart Acquires Vizio: Walmart buys Vizio for $2.3B, expanding into electronics (Intellizence). → Paramount Global Merges with Skydance: Paramount Global partners with Skydance in a $22.26B deal (Inside Arbitrage). 💰 Fundraising Highlights → Funding for UK’s Common Beverage: Secures six-figure investment led by James Watt (The Drinks Business). → InvestBev’s Ambitious Goal: Launches its fifth fund, aiming to raise $150M for beverage brands (Axios). → Emma Watson’s Renais Gin: Raises $2.3M to fuel growth in the luxury gin market (SEC). → ZeroFox Holdings Raises Funds: Secures investment from Haveli Investments to enhance digital risk protection services (Stock Analysis). → Agiliti Secures Funding: Thomas H. Lee Partners invest in Agiliti for growth in medical equipment services (Stock Analysis). 💄 Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness Updates → Briogeo Expands Product Line: Introduces new hair styling products at Ulta and Sephora (Glossy). → Unilever Prestige CEO Resigns: Vasiliki Petrou resigns to start a new investment fund (Business of Fashion). → Care/of Closes Operations: The personalized vitamin brand shuts down (Twitter). → Goop Launches Mascara: Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand expands its makeup line with a new mascara (WWD). → GlaxoSmithKline Acquires Aiolos Bio: GSK enhances its respiratory care portfolio (Stock Analysis). → Amgen Launches New Wellness Initiative: Focuses on personalized health and wellness products (Inside Arbitrage). 🍽️ Food, Beverage, and Alcohol News → Liquid Death’s New “Death Dust”: Enhanced flavors now available on Amazon (Instagram). → SCiFi Foods Shuts Down: Cultivated meat startup ceases operations after raising $40M (AgFunder). → DAVIDsTEA Introduces Sparkling Iced Teas: Launches its first ready-to-drink product (Instagram). → Mondelez Collaborates with Lotus Bakeries: New cookie and chocolate products in the works (Food Dive). → Top of the Mornin’ Coffee’s New Flavor: Introduces French Toast Flavored Coffee (Instagram). → Hulk Hogan’s Beer Launch: Debuts Real American Beer (Brewbound). 📊 Data and Distribution Developments → MERIT’s Financial Success: On track to reach $100M in sales this year (Business of Fashion). → Verb Energy Debuts at Earth Fare: Available in Earth Fare stores. → Burnt Faith Brandy at Tesco: Expands to the UK market. → Pioneer Natural Resources Partners with ExxonMobil: Focuses on sustainable energy solutions (Stock Analysis). → Alpine Immune Sciences Teams with Vertex: Enhances its immunotherapy offerings (Stock Analysis). Enjoyed this? Follow James Ball for roundups every Friday.

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The Food Investors - live today on Startup CPG podcast. These are some of the most active VCs writing checks for early stage brands. An excellent discussion on trends they are seeing, white space, early round valuations, and even some live pitches. - Andrew Reynolds (RCV Frontline ) - Carolyn Simmons (Melitas Ventures) - Daniel Faierman (Habitat Partners) - Greer Tessler (Simple Food Ventures) #cpg #venturecapital #investing #fundraising

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The biggest challenge early on with launching, and then scaling Hint Inc. , was getting people to understand why they needed an unsweetened flavored water. 💭 Consumers and grocery buyers struggled to see why they needed a new category and a product within that category. Hint was the only product in the category, too, which wasn’t helpful either. Just because there is no competition, doesn’t mean it isn’t needed. It could mean that you are early. 🤗 And then there was this. 🙇‍♀️ When you don’t have the “right” experience, plenty of people will doubt you. 🤔 Don’t pay attention. A lot can be figured out if you are willing to do the work and WAIT for the consumer to catch up. For the buyer making the decision to put you on the shelf or not. Keep standing! Keep showing up. Persistence and patience goes a long way. 💡 Educating your audience takes patience. The consumer has to *feel it* to *want it*. Experiencing the product and waiting for consumers to catch up to where you are is what’s necessary. In Hint’s case, a product, company and team focused on helping consumers get and stay healthy without sacrificing taste. No trickery either. Hint always delivered. 💦 It took us a long time before we could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Before the brand became what it is today. Soon, the same people who originally didn’t understand why they needed a product like Hint became our biggest fans and advocates. 💪 Creating and growing a company that is meaningful to people, that people love, is a powerful feeling. 🥰 Success isn’t about being the first or the fastest. It's about being the most committed. Not letting people get in your way who hope to squash it. Or who believe can do it better. Bringing people along is what true brand building is about, but not the ones who have the wrong interests in mind. And, finally, not giving up when you are challenged. You can do big things. You have. 💥 #Undaunted #KaraGoldin #Hint #Entrepreneurship #Vision #Verlinvest #Innovation #Health #Persistence #Inspiration #Hint

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If you're a CPG brand or if you don't have a CPG brand and want to be featured on our monthly newsletter please message me directly. We have a few hundred subscribers now, and I wanted to highlight people and their products and services that fits my newsletter audience. This allows people to get their name out there to the world about what they do. This is free of charge for a limited time. I have only 4 brands I will be adding to the newsletter each month. Send me pictures of your products/ services with a brief description. I will make sure you're featured in the next article if slots are available. Let's support and help each other grow. #community #engagement #newsletter #support #cpg #business #branding #audience #networking #entrepreneurship #affiliatemarketing #smallbusiness

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We’re onto something BIG at Step Change Innovations... Navigating the functional food and supplement space is overwhelming. It’s fragmented and frustrating for science-backed ingredient companies and independent retailers alike. Here’s what we’ve noticed: ⛔ Independent retailers are stuck with outdated, cookie-cutter private-label programs that fail to connect with wellness-focused consumers ⛔ Science-backed ingredient companies struggle to secure early wins, often stuck in lengthy enterprise CPG launches that slow momentum What if we could fix this together? These challenges are two sides of the same coin, creating an opportunity for something bold: ✨ Exclusive black label innovation ✨ This isn’t about the tired, "me-too" private-label programs of the past. It’s a new solution, focused on wellness powered by science backed ingredients and structured with purpose: ✅ For Retailers: On-trend, value-driven products to meet growing wellness demand, faster and with less complexity ✅ For Ingredient Companies: A platform to showcase your technology and connect with consumers and retailers who care Introducing our WellWerks / NuWerks line and program launching nationwide in January 2025. This isn’t just about selling products. It's about creating real connections and driving meaningful differentiation. More announcements around this launch are coming. Trust me, if you are an ingredient company or independent grocer this is a movement you’ll want to be part of. #Innovation #ControlLabel #RetailTrends #Wellwerks #StepChangeInnovations #PLMA #privatelabel #ingredients #sciencebackedingredients #storebrands #independentgrocery #progressivegrocer #naturalproducts

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Stoked beyond measure to be featured in this paperboy ventures episode with an investment opportunity, spotlighting our epic growth, thus far, and immense potential ahead 🚀 In this episode, Kyle Fitzpatrick dives into RationAle Brewing's journey, showcasing our exceptional #nonalcoholic brews, innovative BrewVo tech, rapid growth in the booming #nonalc beer market, key partnerships, impressive #distribution expansion, and our exciting plans for the future. 🏆 Check out the full episode on #Spotify and #PaperboyVentures (subscribe in the comments) and get in on the investment opp before time runs out. 🤘🏼

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🔮 Exciting news! Our team at CULTURE ADVISORY GROUP INC. has analyzed Whole Foods Market's 2025 Food Trends Report, and the future of food looks incredibly innovative! Here are the key trends that will shape the industry: 🌏 International Snacking Takes Center Stage Watch for chamoy candy and mango sticky rice chips "Pocket foods" (savory dumplings) are gaining momentum Texture innovation with dehydrated fruits and crunchy grains 💧 Hydration Evolution Enhanced beverages with electrolytes, antioxidants, and protein Tea expanding into new formats and applications 🌱 Sustainability Push Home-compostable packaging solutions Wine bottles getting 25% lighter by 2026 Ocean-derived ingredients (sea moss, duckweed) entering mainstream 🥖 Sourdough Renaissance Moving beyond bread into crackers, pasta, and more Commercially prepared options meeting consumer demand 🥩 Protein Innovation Blended organ meats for convenience Focus on cottage cheese, yogurt, and bone broth What excites CULTURE ADVISORY GROUP INC. most is how these trends reflect both consumer wellness priorities and environmental consciousness. The food industry is clearly evolving to meet the complex demands of tomorrow's consumers. Need help in funding and or implementing a health twist to your brand reach out to CULTURE ADVISORY GROUP INC. Thoughts on these trends? Which ones do you think will have the biggest impact on your industry? #FoodTrends #Retail #Innovation #Sustainability #ConsumerInsights #WholeFoods #FoodIndustry #2025Trends  

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Big Heart Tea Co. Minty Blue was just featured on Whole Foods Market 2025 Trend Report! And I can’t even begin to tell you what this means to me, but I’ll try. In 2016, I was at a real crossroads with my tea business. Back then, it was still called Retrailer Tea (horrible name in hindsight, but hey, we sold tea out of a trailer, so it made sense to nobody but me). The world felt so divided, my social feeds were filled with negativity, and on top of that, I had a 2-year-old at home. Farmers markets weren’t cutting it anymore as a revenue stream, and I saw two options—close the business or go big. That’s when I saw Whole Foods’ 2017 Market Trend Report featuring tulsi and turmeric—two key ingredients in our Cup of Sunshine blend. I thought, “We’re on trend. Maybe I know what I’m doing.” So, I began crafting a plan to take my small, local tea company national. I renamed the company Big Heart because of tea’s natural power to bring people together and started doing some very DIY market research—literally hanging out in the tea aisle at Whole Foods. I spent hours observing the brands on the shelves and quickly realized that while all the teas were high-quality and value-based, none of the packaging spoke to me as a millennial who loves beautiful branding. So, I decided to create a tea company that spoke directly to its customers through both the quality of its ingredients and the design of its packaging. Here’s where the doubts came in. I told all my friends and family that our value prop was brand, and while they supported me, nobody fully understood what I meant. They couldn’t quite see the vision, but that was okay, because I did. I went all in, and in March 2017, we launched Big Heart Tea Co. Almost immediately, we started filling orders from early market adopters, specialty retailers, and small businesses. In a crowded tea market, our brand set us apart. Buyers constantly complimented our packaging, which got their attention first, but once they tasted the tea—simple blends made with whole, natural ingredients—they’d say, “And it tastes good, too!” Dare I say, we became the total package. As the company grew, we onboarded national accounts that further validated our position in the market. Every year, I reviewed Whole Foods’ market trend reports for continued validation and inspiration. For us, that report became a North Star, since the Whole Foods customer was always our target. Many of the herbs, flowers, and spices we use have been featured over the years. Now, to be featured in the 2025 report with our Minty Blue tea feels like a full-circle moment. I’m so honored and proud of what we’ve built—a company that has so much of my heart and soul wrapped up in it. Thank you for seeing us, the little Big Heart that could.

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Kefir-- a fermented dairy beverage-- is rising in popularity. I weigh in on this good-for-you drink in this article via Layla Khoury-Hanold via Food Network where it takes about: --What is kefir? --How is kefir made? --What does kefir taste like? --Health benefits --The difference between kefir and yogurt --And of course, HOW to pronounce it!

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California tax revenue from cannabis has declined each of the last two years from a peak of 2021. (Source:DCC) Where do we expect 2024 to finish? It sure seems to be a broken system, with very few profitable operators. The state is trying, and AB 2223 will be a pivotal moment for the industry. Many brands have given up, and are finding better margins and consumer access in hemp, that allow them to do basic things like make payroll. I voted in favor of prop 64. At the time, I had faith that the state supported profitable industry to boost the economy and provide jobs. I didn't believe they had altruistic motives to improve access to a beneficial plant. I didn't think the mismanagement would be so bad that the industry would already be in a decline 3 years into it. Question: How much tax revenue would we generate for the state if we had low-dose cannabis beverages accessible everywhere alcohol was? How much would we need to tax cannabis beverages to achieve their goal? Allowing adult beverage producers, distributors and retailers to freely sell low-dose cannabis beverages isn't competing for revenue from the dispensary channel. People buy beverages where they already are. Someone ordering a Coke at McDonalds or a Red Bull at a concert wasn't going to buy the same drinks at a grocery store later that day. Please tell me where I'm wrong, or your ideas to fix this decline -

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A great article covering the current Cannabis v. Big Alcohol landscape. Let’s be partners not enemies in changing drinking culture. Let's go Monica Roerig Olano, MBA, also featured in this article!

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Another incredible CPGX session in the books... (Consumer Packaged Goods eXecutives Forum) I founded the CPGX Forum almost 12 years ago with intention to gather & learn from the best CPG brands in Utah (Hot Bed for Entrepreneurs) with the first session hosted at Skullcandy Inc. in 2013. Flash forward to today, the relationships have strengthened and the brands have grown substantially. As experiences build, richer conversations are taking place - sharing best practices together as brand builders that service the world's largest retailers. Gozney (Daylen Bushman - THANK YOU!) hosted the session. Gozney is changing the way the world cooks outdoors with a focus on pizza ovens. No one is addressing this growing demand for outdoor ovens like these guys. Beautiful new office space - great tour, and even more exciting vision & mission. Congrats on the explosive growth! Topics for discussion included: Capturing consumer insights in brick & mortar retail (Brij, Kait Stephens' software was a meaningful part of the discussion). TikTok and current advertising best practice and tactics for increasing units/store/week across distribution was another topic. We closed out discussing PURPOSE and using our brand platforms to lift consumers and to make a difference in the world. Such good energy!! Thanks to the many brands & executives that have supported the CPGX Forum over the years. Shout out to some of this week's attendees: Dan Griffiths (Lume Deoderant), Thomas Bishop (Pale Blue Earth), David A. Kizer (Owlet), Steve Clark (Just Ingredients), Colby Bauer (Thread), Joe Boud (SPG/Carhartt), Rich Israelsen (Downeast), Sterling Jones (JoJo's Chocolates), Sam Alexander (PMD Beauty), Tiffany Vail (Brandless), 🌮 Scott Craig Porter (San Diablo), Paul Norat (Northern Plastics), Tyson Andrus (Atmos) among others. To those brands that couldn't make it today... see you next time! Denny Bruce - Congrats on the Gozney vision & strategy! (Our thoughts are with your family in Florida in the path of the hurricane 🙏 )

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