Biena Snacks

Snack brand Biena Foods is looking to go after calorie conscious shoppers, launching a new line called Tasty Thins.

This week we’re joined by Ross Iverson, co-founder and chief investment officer of Manna Tree Partners, a food-focused private equity firm whose portfolio includes stakes in Health-Ade, Gotham Greens and Urban Remedy. Iverson discussed the firm’s vision to improve human health by investing in better-for-you brands, why diligence plays a bigger role than innovation when evaluating companies and how Manna Tree assesses early-stage brands.

Here’s another marker that life is approaching a post-pandemic “new normal”: the reintroduction of free samples in grocery stores nationwide. To the relief of brands, who have long relied on sampling to win customers, many retailers announced plans this month to allow brands back in-store for product demonstrations.

Snack brand Biena announced today the close of an $8 million round of funding. “It just made a lot of sense for us to go out and raise money to take advantage of the growth opportunities in front of us with the brand platform,” Founder Poorvi Patodia told NOSH about the round. The brand will use the capital for sales, marketing and innovation — possibly expanding beyond its current focus on chickpeas.

Chickpea snacking brand Biena is ready to stretch out. The company is about to launch a new line of chickpea-based puffs and has made over its packaging to unify the portfolio. To support both initiatives, Biena closed a $2.35 million round in April 2018 and a second internal round of financing later in the year.

From an Indian-inspired condiment maker getting into more doors with a new product, to a chickpea snack producer growing its distribution with a familiar flavor, here’s your latest in natural distribution news.