The Printing Press Newsletter 🖨️

Gustavo and Adam, here. We want to welcome you to the first edition of our newsletter, The Printing Press.

What to expect?

• Upcoming Events happening in Chicago🥂

• Updates on our brands/things we have learned💰

• CPG news happening specifically in Chicago🌃

• CPG news happening across the globe🌎

• Our founder of the month spotlight 🔦

Upcoming Events 🥂

We’re excited to announce our next CPG/DTC Speakeasy Event in Chicago on November 30th. Our last event was a massive success, but we have a feeling this next one is gonna be even better. 😉

Andy Dunn, Founder of Bonobos👖 is going to be co-hosting with us!

Our friend Jess Cervellon from Feastables is Co-Hosting Midwest Spark in Chicago on November 15th. The all-day e-commerce event will be at Soho House. There are just a few spots left, so make sure to join the waitlist soon!⏳

What’s New 💰

Update from Adam: Earlier this month I finally released my Golf Club Care Kit under my brand, Club Doctor. ⛳ The original plan was to have this ready for Father’s Day back in June. Needless to say, there were delays, headaches, and issues. But, I’m glad I was patient and didn’t force anything because I love how the final product came out.

Club Doctor hit 15,000 followers on Instagram 🎉

Tip: I’ve found a lot of recent success posting 2-3 reels per day on Instagram, but NOT sharing them to my feed. This pushes out the post to non-followers and helps you gain exposure to new eyes.

Update from Gustavo: Musk Co🕯️was honored to be featured in Style GF as The Best Subscription Candle service. We are ramping up our press in the time leading up to the holidays so this was a big organic win for us.

Musk Co welcomes Keith Fix as its new strategic advisor🥳

Tip: Focus on going vertical on one product before going horizontal with a product line. While it may feel like progress, focus on making one product achieve product-market fit first. Everything else is a distraction.

CPG in Chicago 🌃

🥤 Water bottle accessory company, CharCharms launches in southern retailer, Palmetto Moon

🥟 Dumpling-making experience brand, Thirsty Dumpling to launch on November 3rd

🏢 Retail Aware completes FUEL Accelerator, a Walton Foundation (Walmart) backed program in Bentonville, Arkansas

CPG around the Globe 🌎

🌿 Selva Ventures Secures $34M to Back Health-centric Consumer Brands

• Los Angeles-based Selva Ventures closes a $34 million fund for health and wellness consumer brand startups, joining similar venture firms like The Family Fund.

• Led by Kiva Dickinson, the firm aims to support early-stage companies through seed and Series A phases, already investing in brands like OneSkin and Crown Affair, with a focus on female or minority-led ventures.

🏎️ F1 Star Lewis Hamilton launches non-alcoholic brand.

• Lewis Hamilton partnered with Casa Lumbre to create a non-alcoholic spirit, Almave, resembling tequila but alcohol-free.

• Available online from October 26 and in U.S. retailers by 2024, Almave offers two variants priced at $40 and $36 for 700 ml bottles, catering to a growing demand for flavorful non-alcoholic beverages.

🧘 Alo Yoga Explores Investment Opportunity Amidst Rising Brand Popularity

• Engaging investment bank Moelis, Alo Yoga's founders are considering selling a stake in the company, potentially valuing the brand at about $10 billion, amidst gaining a youthful consumer base and competing with big names like Lululemon and Nike.

• The deliberation on investment comes in a thriving athleisure market, with other brands like Vuori Inc and Kim Kardashian's Skims also recently securing substantial financing.

Founder Spotlight 🔦

🥟Thirsty Dumpling Preps for Launch on November 3rd

Our friend Sam is officially launching her Dumpling Experience from her brand, Thirsty Dumpling. It is a kit that includes almost everything you need to make homemade dumplings! The only other thing you’ll need to buy is your meat or meat substitute of choice.

We had the pleasure of testing the product when it was still in its early stages of development. The dumplings tasted incredible and the process of making them was fun and engaging.

It has been a pleasure to watch Sam bring this idea to life. As with any business, she ran into some hiccups and headaches along the way but kept moving forward and the final product looks awesome!

A few of Sam’s achievements before starting Thirsty Dumpling include authoring a cookbook and competing on the Food Network show, Supermarket Stakeout.

You can grab your dumpling experience here starting on November 3rd!

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