The 'Carbone of Indian Food' and Colostrum In A Can

0:04Monica Watrous:Welcome to the CPG Week podcast by BevNet and Nosh. I'm Monica Watrous, here with my co-host Brad Avery. If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe on your listening platform of choice. Here is the latest in food and beverage industry news. Just as Carbone helped elevate red sauce classics into a luxury lifestyle brand, Gymkhana Fine Foods is aiming to reframe Indian cuisine in the U.S. from takeout staple to premium everyday indulgence. The Indian sauce and marinade brand, owned by U.K.-based hospitality group JKS Restaurants, is gearing up for its stateside debut at Whole Foods Market nationwide, backed by a$8.5 million Series A investment round led by Cavu Consumer Partners.

0:54Monica Watrous:Cavu previously led the brand's$3 million seed round in 2024 when it launched its jarred sauces in the UK. Cavu founding partner Rohan Oza and managing partner Jared Jacobs joined its board of directors at the time and will continue to serve after this recent investment. In the US, Gymkhana is launching four simmer sauces and three marinades at Whole Foods stores and online. Gymkhana Fine Foods is the packaged food brand developed by former Mars Inc. executive Geras Arora in partnership with the two-star Michelin Indian restaurant Gymkhana based in London. The consumer products offshoot has already secured distribution in over a thousand retail doors in the UK in Whole Foods, Waitrose, and Sainsbury's chains, among others.

1:45Monica Watrous:JKS Restaurants opened its first U.S. Gymkhana outpost in Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Casino in December, as well as a similar concept, Ambassador's Clubhouse in New York City. While brands like Maya Kamal, Saffron Road, and Patax have made preparing Indian cuisine more accessible to home cooks, Gymkhana's slightly higher price point targets shoppers seeking more premium experiences. Brands like Momofuku and Rouse have parlayed restaurant credibility into scaled grocery businesses, tapping into consumer demand for convenience with authenticity, provenance and flavor discovery. And it seems Gymkhana is on a similar trajectory.

2:27Brad Avery:Just as we've seen a renaissance in East Asian brands and cuisines on the grocery shelf, Indian flavors and sauces have also been getting a fresh charge. And it's exciting to see new brands enter. I mean, this has been going on for a long time now. Brands like Saffron Road and others have brought Indian cuisine to the frozen aisle. And Jim Khanna focusing on this for a modern grocery set makes perfect sense in my head.

2:59Monica Watrous:Absolutely. I got a chance to catch up with Jared Jacobs of Cavu at Expo West, and he was talking about this investment. And he was the one who compared Gymkhana to Carbone for Indian food. Just as we've seen Carbone's trajectory from its restaurant roots in New York to over a hundred million dollar business on retail shelves, Jacob seems pretty bullish that Gymkhana can follow a similar track.

3:28Brad Avery:Well, Americans are very familiar with Indian food overall. Are they familiar with colostrum? Hmm.

3:36Monica Watrous:I'm not. So tell me more.

3:38Brad Avery:So colostrum, this is going to sound weird at first, but it's the highly nutrient dense milk produced by mammals during pregnancy. It's the early first milk, some would say. And it's very rich in antibodies and protein. It helps boost newborns' immune systems. And so there's a big health focus on it. Now, Armra, A-R-M-R-A, all in capitals, is a ready-to-drink brand introducing a colostrum soda to the market. Founded by CEO Dr. Sarah Rahal, the brand is hoping to introduce American consumers to the ingredient and its various benefits and using soda as a means made possible through innovations in R &D just over the last five years.

4:30Brad Avery:Rahal called the ingredient the, quote, first blueprint and source code for the body that optimizes development of all the pathways and emphasize its ability to boost immunity, improve gut health, and enhance athletic recovery in adults. Colostrum can also be good for the skin, boosting collagen production. While it's been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and ancient Chinese medicine, the market is fairly untapped in the U.S. And it's going to take a lot of education in order to get consumers on board. But as we see the global ingestible beauty market booming and obviously big pushes for gut health, immunity, these other benefits in recent years, it's an interesting positioning and definitely a unique one in a otherwise crowded, modern, better for you soda space.

5:23Monica Watrous:In other beverage news, Brooklyn-based non-alcoholic beverage maker St. Agriestus, best known for its Phony Negroni line of bottled mocktails, has been acquired by the Wine Group for an undisclosed sum. The Move, which is the Wine Group's first extension outside of wine, aims to diversify the supplier's portfolio and leverage its distribution network to scale Phony Negroni products nationwide. It comes against the backdrop of surging interest in non-alcoholic beverages, with volumes projected to expand by 36 % by 2029. Launched in 2022, Phony Negroni, which includes mezcal and espresso-inspired varieties, is the top-selling ready-to-serve 200-milliliter bottled beverage in the non-alcoholic spirit segment, according to Mintel data.

6:10Monica Watrous:The award-winning Zero Proof line is sold across 4 ,000 on-premise accounts, plus retail channels and direct-to-consumer. The deal also includes Amaro Falso, a non-alcoholic Amaro highball, as well as St. Agriestis' full portfolio of alcoholic ready-to-drink aperitivos and Negronis. St. Agriestis' co-owners Stephen D 'Angelo, Louis Catazzoni, and Matt Catazzoni will remain involved in the business for the near term. Santa Gresis will maintain production at its Brooklyn facility for another year, and the wine group's immediate priorities will be growing inventory and launching a zero-proof spritz.

6:51Brad Avery:And in financing news, productivity drink startup Newtonic has secured$6 million in new funding as it looks to accelerate its U.S. retail presence with a move into national grocery stores slated for this summer. Founded by UK-based wellness influencers James Smith and Chris Williamson, Newtonic is sold as a 12-ounce ready-to-drink and as a powder stick. Billed as an alternative to overstimulating energy drinks, the product outs a research-backed formula that combines caffeine with functional ingredients and nootropics, including cognizant citicoline. Last July, the company raised$3.7 million at a$20 million valuation to help bring its RTDs to the U.S., and it is currently sold at GNC, the Vitamin Shop, and Central Market.

7:37Brad Avery:It's the latest in a line of nootropic beverages that we've seen enter the market. Some, such as Emotional Utility Beverage, have not been able to get a grasp on the space, while others, such as LifeAid's FocusAid, have merges strong skews for brands that are appealing to consumers in search of that extra cognitive boost.

8:03Monica Watrous:Insiders can read more about that investment at BevNet.com. And here are some other notable bits of news from the week. Spirits giant Sazerac announced a strategic partnership with 818 Tequila, the brand founded by model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner. Sprouts Farmers Market's first quarter earnings played out largely as expected, as the natural channel retailer reported a 4 % net sales increase to$2.3 billion. And finally, NBA star Paul George has invested in Wet Hydration's new$10 million funding round as the brand targets new retail channel growth. For these stories and more, become an insider at BevNet and Nosh.

8:47Monica Watrous:That wraps up this edition of CPG Week by BevNet and Nosh. Thank you to our audio engineer, Joshua Pratt. Our director is Mike Schneider. And our designer is Aaron Willett. If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe on your listening platform of choice, and we will see you next time.