Sol-Ti’s $30M Marks Win For Shots & Another Chef-Driven Meal Kit

On this episode, CPG Week co-hosts Brad Avery and Lukas Southard take a quick hit from the juice shots category on the news that functional brand Sol-Ti raised a new tranche of capital. After exploring if shots have a ceiling, the team discusses how the meal kit category is increasingly relying on celebrity chefs to build brands, a new app for UPF-averse consumers and C4’s new beer-flavored energy drink.

0:30 - Lukas explains why a $30 million funding round for shot brand Sol-Ti might be a signal to consumer preference for small-format functional drinks.

6:00 - Sir Kensington co-founder Mark Ramadan and Eleven Madison Park chef Daniel Humm have launched Riff Meal Kits, a premium take on the cook-it-yourself category. Brad and Lukas debate how much of an impact celebrity chefs have on the meal kit set.

11:10 - Lukas relates why a new app for ultra-processed food, third-party certification, Non-UPF Verified, could help both consumers and brands understand how the trend is playing out in buying patterns.

12:45 - Is there a market for beer-flavored energy drinks? C4 thinks so, but Lukas and Brad parse out their skepticism.