TRUFF Secures Investment From Kim K’s PE Firm SKKY Partners

TRUFF, the premium, truffle-enhanced condiment brand that has counted global super- brands including Taco Bell, The Super Mario Brothers Movie and Hidden Valley Ranch as partners, now has an icon to call its own.

This morning, SKKY Partners, the private equity firm co-founded by Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Jay Sammons, announced it has made TRUFF its first portfolio investment, acquiring a “significant minority stake” in the company.

“TRUFF is exactly the kind of business that embodies what we were looking for when we founded SKKY – a next-generation brand with a deep, authentic connection with consumers and the potential for ongoing growth,” said Kardashian, a SKKY Partners co-founder and managing partner, said in a press release.

Kardashian herself has launched a handful of CPG brands including clothing company SKIMS, in addition to collaborating on numerous personal care and beauty, clothing and jewelry brands with the rest of the Kardashian and Jenner crew. In May, she was also named chief taste officer of Beyond Meat.

In conjunction with the investment, Mark Ramandan, co-founder and former CEO of Sir Kensington’s and former CEO of Hu chocolate, will join the company’s board as an independent director. David Brisske, managing director of SKKY Partners will also join TRUFF’s board.

Founded by Nick Ajluni and Nick Guillen in 2017, TRUFF’s origins began well before its premium hot sauce products hit the market. The brand started as a foodie Instagram account, @sauce, run by Ajluni and Guillen. That account began to go viral and the duo decided to extend that brand by launching its first product – Black Truffle Hot Sauce.

“Nick and Nick have single handedly brought truffle-infused products into the mainstream food scene and built a community around the brand that will continue to be key to its success going forward,” Kardashian said in the release.

Since its launch, TRUFF has extended into a range of new categories including mayonnaise, oils, pasta sauce and salts. The brand’s flagship product is made with black truffle oil, organic agave and red chili peppers; a 6 oz. bottle retails for about $13.50. The brand has also introduced variations made with the more subtle-tasting white truffle.

“There is no greater validation of the strength and potential of our business than having the backing of the SKKY Partners team,” said Ajluni and Guillen in a press release. “They understand our vision and the powerful connection we have with our consumers, and their expertise in growing branded consumer businesses is unmatched.”

In 2019, TRUFF raised an undisclosed sum of seed funding, at the time valuing the company at $25 million. In recent years, the brand has driven growth and trial through a range of partnerships spanning from QSR, fast food, entertainment and CPG spaces. The products are sold in 20,000 stores nationwide including Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, Target and more.

“We’re focused on partnering with creative founders who are building brands that have a fresh perspective,” Brisske said in a release. “With TRUFF, Nick and Nick have pioneered a unique brand voice and created a differentiated product suite that is bringing new consumers into the categories in which they play. We’re thrilled to be joining the TRUFF team for this next chapter.”