5 New CPG Products to Watch | Left Hand Agency CPG High Five
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
I'm a CPG nerd and proud of it. One of my favorite things to do is watch for new products hitting shelves, especially founder-led ones, because the human element behind a brand is the most exciting part of the whole thing.
Here are five new brands (or brand expansions) I've had my eye on recently. And don't be shy, tag a brand you've seen launching or expanding lately!
The brand calls these adult lunchables, and I'm into it because I rarely have time to make lunch even though my kitchen is 15 feet from my desk. Bezi started out making labneh, a Middle Eastern dip that is to die for. They describe it as “think yogurt and cream cheese had the perfect baby.” To me, labneh has the perfect consistency and tang to sit beside other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. I've only ever had it at restaurants, so I'm excited to see the whole category hit the grocery aisle, and even more excited about the convenience of having a cracker or bagel built right in to dip with. Bezi still has limited distribution, but I'm hopeful more people get introduced to labneh and start putting it into rotation with hummus and tabouleh. Read more here.
Unless you've been living under a CPG rock, you know about David bars, the energy bar that's stirred up as much controversy over its EPG monopoly as it has fans. EPG is a fat alternative that's basically indigestible but tastes like fat, tricking our stupid tongues into thinking we're eating a treat. I tried the bars a few months back and found them pretty disappointing, though I'll admit I'm not their target audience. I don't count macros or obsess over calories. Still, protein is something I try to get more of, so I might try the vanilla shake in my coffee and see how it stacks up against my usual Premier Protein shake. David's also expanded into ice cream recently, and now shakes on top of that, and I'm genuinely curious whether this rapid expansion is backed by strong sales or is more of an aggressive, untested growth bet. Time will tell.
Watch out, Cheers and No Days Wasted, there's a new alcohol recovery product making early waves, and it's doing it through marketing. I got to meet Partner and CMO Kevin Mai at the Sweets & Snacks Expo, and he's the ultimate brand ambassador: excited, passionate, motivated. The brand ditched capsules and powders in favor of a gummy format, and I tried them, they taste good, which is really my only requirement. I hate taking pills, so most of my vitamins come in gummy form these days because I'm a big baby about it. Undo validated market fit in the home of overindulgence, Vegas, and it's now sold nationwide and launching in Target. With 1,000+ stores gained in 18 months and strong packaging to boot, we've got our eyes on this one.
This new soda company is changing the narrative on what a functional beverage can do. Instead of leading with ingredients, it leads with the social occasion the drink is made for, marketing itself as a feel-good fizzy drink. Cute. I'll admit I'm skeptical about how much a beverage can actually shift my mood, but I'm pretty fun after a few cocktails, so I'd give this a try instead, especially if I'm driving. With just two SKUs, it's nice to see them validating market fit before rushing into more flavors. Note: mood beverages aren't a totally new idea, Axios has a good profile on the whole movement if you want to read more.
This wasn't a flavor on my must-try list, I'm more of a traditional flavor gal. But I was at a party for CPG folks recently and a sales rep brought samples, so I gave the Chili Lime a shot and was pleasantly surprised. I tend to think of lime as overpowering, but this had a much more subtle, fajita-adjacent flavor that was genuinely delightful. Glad I gave it a go, because it's a flavor I'd absolutely buy again to shake up my meat stick habits. (True story: I recently told my husband I have a “beef stick problem” because I usually have a couple every day, and they are not cheap.)
A Look Ahead at New CPG Products
These five brands are just a small snapshot of what’s happening across the CPG landscape right now. From convenient food formats and functional beverages to bold flavors and clever brand positioning, these new CPG products show how founders are finding fresh ways to meet changing consumer needs. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on where these brands go next—and on the new CPG products that inevitably catch my attention along the way.
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