This week I took over The Shelf NYC for a special edition of "The Humans Behind the Hustle" - diving deep into the stories of five incredible food founders who are building authentic brands through relentless execution and genuine passion.<...

This week in CPG was absolute chaos. Tom Brady's selling protein powder, Beyond Meat launched beverages, and someone raised $10 million for alcoholic sports drinks that taste like Gatorade. Categories officially don't exist anymore.In...

Episode 12: The $500 Million Cottage Cheese EconomyL Catterton just valued cottage cheese at half a billion dollars. Sprouts put THC drinks next to kombucha. Parents paid $15M to hide vegetables in waffles. And someone put mushroo...

Unpackaged Goods Episode 11: The $200 Frying Pan EconomyWelcome to 2026, where your cookware costs more than your groceries and the Poppi founder is already building his next billion-dollar brand.In this week's episode, we ...

In Episode 10 of Unpackaged Goods, we correct last week's mistake: Reuters revised the BeatBox acquisition to $490 million for 85% (not $700 million outright). The real numbers tell an even better story about discipline returning to CPG M&A...

In Episode 9 of Unpackaged Goods, we unpack Anheuser-Busch's $700 million acquisition of BeatBox Beverages – a surprisingly rational 2.8x revenue multiple that signals discipline returning to CPG M&A. Plus, Suja Life's bold IPO filing tests...

In Episode 8 of Unpackaged Goods, we unpack the biggest CPG deal of the decade: Kimberly-Clark's $49 billion acquisition of Kenvue (Tylenol, Band-Aid, Neutrogena). Plus, Mid-Day Squares proves you don't need venture capital to scale, announcing...

In Episode 7 of Unpackaged Goods, we cover the biggest moves in CPG this week, including Recess's $30M Series B as they expand beyond CBD, Fruitist's $150M raise at $400M revenue, and Target's aggressive push into wellness shots.Then, we...

In Episode 6 of Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan tackles this week's viral Consumer Reports article about heavy metals in protein powder - and explains why the fear-mongering doesn't match the science.This week's major moves:LVMH e...

In Episode 5 of Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan covers the week's biggest CPG moves including BUILT Bar's potential sale, Sprinter Spirits' $4M raise, and why luxury butter needs venture funding.Then, the founder of Trelli Health shares their...

In this solo episode of Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan breaks down the week's biggest CPG collapses, comebacks, and contradictions. We analyze PRIME's staggering fall from $1.3B to $300M, Flow Water's receivership, and why DUDE Wipes is somehow cru...

In Episode 3 of Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan breaks down Once Upon a Farm's IPO filing, Smucker's protein-powered PB&J launch, and why everyone's putting weird stuff in non-alcoholic beer.Then, the founders of Byte'm Brownie Bites shar...

In Episode 2 of Unpackaged Goods, Jonathan breaks down the week's biggest CPG moves including Tito's historic first acquisition (LALO Tequila), Heineken's $3.2B infrastructure play, and why an NFL quarterback is investing in jumbo blueberries.<...

In our premiere episode, The Lucky Ox reveals how they transformed nostalgic Asian flavors into a premium Asian beverage brand. We discuss their journey from working together at Nike, and Jonathan breaks down this week's biggest CPG news, inclu...