Episode 12: The $500 Million Cottage Cheese Economy

L 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 mushrooms in fake martinis. Welcome to CPG in 2026.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[2:30] - Why Good Culture's $500M+ valuation actually makes sense [10:30] - How Sprouts just legitimized the entire THC beverage category [17:30] - The hidden vegetable economy and why parents will pay anything [23:30] - Zero-proof cocktails get functional (because of course they do) [28:30] - Rapid fire: Clear protein, Honey Mama's at Costco, AB InBev dominance [36:30] - The Optimization Economy: Have we gone too far? [41:30] - Predictions for 2026 and what this means for your brand

KEY TOPICS:

• Good Culture's path from farmers market to $500M valuation
• Why forgotten categories hide billion-dollar opportunities
• Sprouts' 120-store THC rollout and what happens next
• The psychology of hiding vegetables in kids' food
• How AB InBev is winning the RTD cocktail wars
• Why everything needs protein and adaptogens now
• The blueprint for modern CPG success

MENTIONED BRANDS: Good Culture, L Catterton, Manna Tree Partners, Sprouts Farmers Market, Cann, Jeng, Evergreen, Dry & Dirty, Bloom Nutrition, Honey Mama's, AB InBev, Cutwater, BeatBox, MUD\WTR, RYZE, Ritual, Target, Costco, Whole Foods

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• "They're not buying cottage cheese. They're buying the ability to convince millennials that forgotten foods are cool again."
• "When Sprouts says cannabis is groceries, the regulatory moat just disappeared."
• "We've turned eating into a complex optimization problem. And somehow, it's working."
• "The next billion-dollar brand is probably in your grandma's pantry right now."

ABOUT THE SHOW: Unpackaged Goods is the CPG industry's source for unfiltered analysis, founder stories, and insights into what's really selling. Hosted by Jonathan Deeter, founder of Pickle Advisors and Deets Eats Media.

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