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Have a pop up in SoCal? LAeats just launched our new Pop-Up map & newsletter on reallaeats.com Your profile + map pin Auto-featured in our weekly newsletter Direct order link Extra IG love for early pop-ups 🔥 Claim your spot (2 min): reallaeats.com/add-popup

.@shaunmmaguire on Starlink Mobile: "Direct to cell will probably be even bigger than the original consumer internet business."⁣ ⁣ "The unit economics are incredibly good."  "This is cell service from space. Pretty insane."

@rohanrkumar @a16z Menu looks good

Hey @a16z

Kyuramen Group acquires matcha gelato concept to grow across U.S. Offering varying grades of matcha in gelato and drinks, Aokō Matcha will grow as a standalone concept and within Kyuramen locations. ow.ly/IL1J106yums

Figure launched yesterday aiming to hit 8 hours of autonomous work We’ve now crossed 30 hours of continuous operations with no downtime 🔥🔥🔥 We also welcomed Rose to the team - helping push us past 38,000 packages processed

Very cool

This is an interesting growth story for soda

@nicktorg @WholeFoods Saw your collab at Ronnie’s Pronto today. Future of CPG is a lot more collabs and LTOs

The TRUFF team crushed the new Aioli innovation. Drizzle it on grilled steak, fish tacos, lemon pepper wings, sweet potato fries, shrimp skewers, and whatever’s next. Now available nationwide exclusively at @WholeFoods 🔥😋

"The LEGO Group is the world's largest tire manufacturer by volume, producing over 300 million miniature rubber wheels annually." Thanks for the fun fact of the day @PalmerLuckey. Sure they may be small, but a tire is a tire!

Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital has taken a stake in Shopify, according to people familiar with the matter, marking a rare bet from the venture firm on a public company bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

MODERN SODA FOR KIDS MAKER ROXBERRY CLOSES MAJOR FUNDING BFY soda brand Roxberry launched in January growing nearly 900% YTD and available at 3300+ stores. Co-founder Dan Haugen is building Roxberry for parents and children with real fruits and vegetables and only 5g of sugar. The company filed a form D in 2022 reporting a $550k round.

Nearly 30 new beverage brands or major launches (I’m only counting bigger names and surely missed some) in the US 🇺🇸 in the first five months of 2026 alone. The pace is wild. Venture capital is flowing, the functional ingredient race is heating up, celebrities are flooding the category from every angle, and legacy brands are firing back with their own challenger plays. The common thread: everyone sees the same structural shift, consumers trading up on ingredients, trading down on price, and leaving the undifferentiated middle empty. 👇🏻 Update (Kim Kardashian, co-founder): Caffeine-free, powered by 300mg paraxanthine, launched in 4,000+ Walmart stores March 1. MAC Energy (Conor McGregor): goBHB ketones + Cognizin citicoline + natural caffeine, announced at The Beverage Forum April 28, distribution TBD. STORM (Monster Energy): Reign Storm rebranded as a standalone wellness energy brand, plant-based caffeine, immunity and beauty benefits, nationwide May 6. Monster Flrt: Monster’s female-first sub-brand with collagen, immunity and beauty positioning, launched Q1. Kirkland Signature Energy (Costco): 200mg caffeine, zero sugar, 24-pack at ~70 cents/can, launched March. Dunkin’ Zero: Zero-sugar lightly carbonated energy drink in six flavors, launched March 4 in Dunkin’ stores nationwide. V8 Energy Zero Sugar: 80mg natural caffeine, three flavors, launched February via Amazon and Walmart. Neutonic: Nootropic productivity drink by Chris Williamson and James Smith, $6M raised, rolling into national grocery summer 2026. Capri Sun Hydrate (Kraft Heinz): Electrolytes + Vitamin E, 50% less sugar than leading sports drinks, launched April 21 at Walmart, Target and Amazon. PRODA: Protein soda, 10g protein, 3g fiber, zero sugar, in nostalgic flavors like Shirley Temple, launched at Sprouts nationwide May 9, co-founded by Suja Juice co-founder Jeff Church. POPWTR: New sparkling hydration brand from Lemon Perfect founder Yanni Hufnagel, targeting the hydration-soda crossover, announced April 2026. HiNote (Carrie Underwood): Women’s wellness drink mix with 20g protein, 5g fiber and 13 fruits and vegetables, DTC-only launch May 6. Ginsa: Sparkling Korean ginseng tonic targeting mental clarity, caffeine-free, launched in 20 Costco locations across LA and Hawaii May 12. Haymaker (Tractor Beverage): Apple cider vinegar-based organic sparkling tonic, launched exclusively at Sprouts nationwide January 2026. Beyond Immerse (Beyond Meat): Plant-based sparkling protein drink with 10g or 20g protein and 7g fiber, launched February 2026. Gatorade Lower Sugar: Reduced-sugar sports drink in four flavors, launched spring 2026 as part of PepsiCo’s Gatorade restage. Pepsi Prebiotic Cola: 5g cane sugar, 30 calories, no artificial sweeteners, national retail launch early 2026. Dre & Snoop Hard Iced Teas & Lemonades: 5.9% ABV gin-based RTD in four flavors, launched nationwide April 27. Tempted (Sommer Ray): RTD Dirty Shirley, lightly sparkling, launched May 14 on GoPuff and select retail. SOLLOS Yerba Mate (Barron Trump): Pineapple + Coconut, clean energy positioning, DTC-only launch May 2026. Lipton Zero Sugar Hard Iced Tea: Zero-sugar hard iced tea entering the alcohol aisle, launched March 2026. LYTT Electric Coolers (Boston Beer): 15% ABV malt-based RTD in glow-in-the-dark lightbulb-shaped containers, six cocktail-inspired flavors, launched May 11 in five states. Crazy Mountain (George Clooney, Rande Gerber, Mike Meldman): Non-alcoholic lager, $15M raised from CAVU Consumer Partners, launched nationwide Q1 2026. Three Hearts Rum (Johnny Depp & Bobby DeLeon): Premium rum launched spring 2026. Dos Hombres Tequila (Aaron Paul & Bryan Cranston): Blanco and Reposado tequila expanding beyond mezcal, launched April 2026. And we’re not even halfway through the year.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 🤯

@JakeFleshner Great, can you follow back and I’ll message you? Thanks

@LAeats Let’s do it

Looking to invest in more CPG brands whose founders are social media legends Ideas?

3 YEARS AFTER ACQUIRING HOSTESS, SMUCKER HIRES GOLDMAN FOR SALE J.M. Smucker has tapped Goldman Sachs to run a strategic review of its portfolio, with a potential sale of Hostess Brands. The review comes 2.5 years after Smucker closed its $5.6B acquisition of Hostess, after taking $1.6B+ in goodwill impairment. Hostess had ~$1.4B in revenue when Smucker acquired it in November 2023, growing at 5% YoY. Smucker paid 17.2x adjusted EBITDA, which was rich even at the time but made sense in a snacking category still riding post-pandemic momentum. The integration fell apart fast. Smucker's Sweet Baked Snacks segment, essentially just Hostess, posted an 8% sales decline in Q3 FY2025, then a 14% decline in Q4 FY2025. The company slashed SKUs by 25% and the segment margins sit around 5% vs. Smucker's overall 34% gross margin. Elliott Investment Management entered in early 2026, pushing for capital allocation discipline. Smucker settled in February, adding two Elliott-nominated directors to the board. By May, Goldman is retained and the review is underway. Comps: - Kellanova acquired by Mars for $36B at 2.7x sales and 18x EBITDA - Sovos Brands acquired by Campbell’s for $2.7B at 2.87x sales and 16x ebitda Comps suggest Hostess could be valued around $3.2B

Brunch is the meal that keeps on growing

Long LA techs and startups

@tesla_na @SawyerMerritt Hi @tesla_na please connect Instagram.com/laeats with your food team as we are huge fans of the diner

BLT now available at Tesla Diner Valdivia Farms heirloom tomatoes, bibb lettuce, local bacon, mayo & tomato jam on griddled artisanal bread 🥪

@pronounced_kyle Hi @pronounced_kyle just DM you about my shared interest in this unique domain.

I want to fund a space warfighting prime. Space is a unique domain. It's huge, hostile, and fragile — so we need tech that can help America secure outer space *while preserving the domain itself.* If you're thinking about the future of space and defense, please get in touch.

Netflix is doubling down on its "special event" sports strategy, paying up for big events rather than focusing on the total quantity of games. Bloomberg estimates that this NFL package could cost about $500 million — 2.5% of Netflix's $20 billion content budget this year.

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