Big Moves: Dan-O's lands $25 million, and three more

Dan Oliver started out selling seasoning at a farmers market in Louisville. Now a private equity firm has put $25 million behind Dan-O's, which says it is sold in more than 22,000 retailers. Three more brands brought in new partners too: a non-alcoholic beer that just landed at Target, a jeweler whose ambassadors designed a collection and a ring brand with two new co-owners.

Dan-O's: $25 million from The Newcastle Network

The Newcastle Network, a consumer-focused private equity firm, put $25 million into Dan-O's Seasoning, the Louisville brand Dan Oliver started at a local farmers market in 2015. It is Newcastle's first investment in food, alongside footwear brand Kizik, collectibles brand Super7 and Pet Life Unlimited. Oliver and CEO Phillip Crosby keep running the company, and the money goes to new flavors, new formats and wider reach in stores and online.¹

Dan-O's says it is sold in more than 22,000 retailers and has a community of more than 15 million home cooks. Oliver gives the credit to the fans the brand calls Fan-O's: "They started shakin' it on everything, mixing flavors, creating their own recipes, and making Dan-O's part of their own cooking stories." Newcastle managing partner Chris Casgar: "The brands we're most excited about don't just sell products, they change behavior."¹

Why it matters: Newcastle says it backs founder-led brands that build community first and distribution second, and that is the order Dan-O's followed: the recipes came before the 22,000 retailers. If your customers are already cooking, posting or building with your product, that habit is the asset an investor is paying for.

Crazy Mountain: nearly 1,000 Target stores

Crazy Mountain, the non-alcoholic lager from George Clooney and Rande Gerber, launched in nearly 1,000 Target stores, two weeks after it went live on Amazon. The brand first launched in March 2026 and is also sold at Total Wine & More, Wegmans, GoPuff and several Albertsons banners.^2,3

Before the big shelves, it got poured. The company says Crazy Mountain is served in hundreds of restaurants, bars and lounges, from Surf Lodge, Carbone and White Horse Tavern in New York to Morgan Wallen's This Bar in Nashville and the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles. It comes in Original and Lime at about 60 calories a can, and the cans show what the brand calls "real, world-class cowboys."²

Why it matters: Crazy Mountain went to the bars and restaurants people talk about before it asked for a big-box shelf, so plenty of Target shoppers will have seen the can somewhere they wanted to be. Get poured where people are watching, then go to the shelf.

John Hardy: a collection designed by Billie Eilish and Finneas

John Hardy released the Billie Eilish and Finneas Collection, about a year after the siblings signed on as the jewelry brand's first celebrity ambassadors. They designed it with creative chairman Reed Krakoff in two parts: Wildflower, with small flowers carved from reclaimed sterling silver, and Screwball, built on sculptural chain links. Pieces use lab-grown diamonds and run from $195 to $2,400.^4,5

President Matt Tepper told Glossy, "We don't really do a lot of collabs," and called this one "by far our biggest." Some John Hardy pieces reach $80,000, and keeping this collection accessible was part of the brief from the start. It sells on John Hardy's own site and in its stores, with Nordstrom as the one wholesale partner for the line. Eilish, to Vogue: "You don't have to be a fan of Finneas and I to like the jewelry."^4,5

Why it matters: John Hardy spent a year with Billie Eilish and Finneas as ambassadors before asking them to design, then set the price where their fans could buy in. A celebrity line works best when it starts as a relationship and lands at a price the audience can reach.

QALO: Russell Wilson and Ciara become co-owners

Russell Wilson and Ciara joined QALO as co-owners and investors. The company, which describes itself as the brand that pioneered the silicone ring, has served more than 2.2 million customers since 2013 and now sells the SR-2 Smart Ring and the SL-1 Smart Band, which track sleep, recovery, stress and activity in one app with no subscription. The SR-2 is $199.95 on qalo.com. The announcement does not say how much the couple invested.^6,7

QALO says its wearable user base has grown more than 400% year over year. CEO Jake Curreri: "Their decision to invest in QALO and become co-owners is a strong vote of confidence in what we've built." Wilson: "Taking care and understanding your body is essential to performing your best, whether that's on the field and off the field as a parent and staying active for your kids."⁶

Why it matters: QALO entered a category with bigger names and led with what it leaves out, the monthly fee, then brought in owners whose audience already listens to them on training and family life. When you walk into a crowded category, name the thing you don't charge for, and pick partners who look like your customer.

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Big Moves covers raises, acquisitions, retail launches, product launches and notable hires across consumer brands: food and beverage, apparel, accessories, home goods, jewelry, cosmetics, skincare and wellness. Every item is checked against a primary or reputable source with a date. No brand pays to appear. Reply to the newsletter to suggest one.

The Brand Tested Score measures how distinct a brand is (Brand DNA, 40%) and how well its own online store sells (Site Experience, 60%). Scores are Brand Tested’s opinion, built from public storefront pages and the apps we detected on the scan date and our published v2.0 methodology. They aren’t statements of fact about any company. See something wrong? Request a correction.