CHKN Not Chicken Raises $4.5M Ahead of Launch

Armed with $4.5 million in new funding and a CPG veteran at the helm, a new player in the fast-growing plant-based meat category is looking to shake up the burger and nugget-centric segment with a fresh format that it hopes will convert consumers from chicken to “CHKN.”

Plant-based shredded chicken maker CHKN Not Chicken is led by co-founder and CEO Brian Pope, a longtime CPG executive who’s led marketing for brands including Popchips and Neuro Brands. He left his most recent post as chief growth officer at Nuun last month after its completed sale to Nestle Health Sciences. The Portland, Oregon-based brand was also co-founded by Ryan Choi and Marc Marano, managing partners at venture fund Position Pivot, which incubates and invests in brands across food, fitness and tech. Pope, who serves as a portfolio advisor for Position Pivot, said the firm provided initial seed funding for CHKN.

CHKN’s initial goal was to create a plant-based alternative for “reforming meat eaters,” that could help “more and more people to think about this flexitarian lifestyle,” Pope said.

But formulating the product and finding the right form factor proved challenging and took several iterations before the team ultimately landed on shredded chicken made with pea protein — developed using a proprietary extrusion, flavor-infusion and enrobing technology — which provides more of a “blank canvas” for the product while also avoiding the distinct flavor of soy and limits allergens.

The product is offered in three varieties: Naked, Fiesta (Mexican spice and citrus) and Zen (Asian spices and ginger), each containing 20 grams of protein and 140 calories per 8 oz. serving and sold for $6.99. Pope said the goal was to make a line that was approachable to a wide swath of consumers, with its Naked Chicken aimed at “culinary-centric” consumers comfortable with building their own recipes, and its pre-seasoned products offering quick meal solutions.

With a shredded chicken alternative, the company is hoping to both differentiate itself from and also complement the plant-based chicken nugget products that have recently risen in popularity by offering alt-chicken products ideal for tacos, burritos and pizza toppings. These types of products will serve as an “on ramp” to introduce meat eaters and flexitarians to plant-based eating, Pope said.

“The key to getting meat eaters to start taking those first couple of steps into the plant-based world is to allow them to do it in the context of something that’s really familiar,” Pope said.

As its brand name suggests, the CHKN team sees “huge opportunity” in the plant-based chicken space, with its innovation team currently “very deeply focused” on developing whole cuts as its next product. But it also isn’t letting its name tie it down, Pope said, as it’s already been developing prototypes for other proteins like plant-based shredded pork, while turkey and bacon alternatives could also be on the horizon.

The company’s growth plans are being fueled by a new funding round, led by Stray Dog Capital, that raised $4.5 million, with family offices and individual investors including Good PLANeT founder and CEO David Israel also participating. Stray Dog partner Johnny Ream said the CHKN team’s experience growing and investing in CPG brands, as well as the products’ versatility in a number of applications, were driving forces in the firm’s investment. While it has previously invested in alt-chicken brands like Alpha Foods and Daring, he said Stray Dog doesn’t see this space as a “winner-take-all” category.

“[These brands] represent rapidly growing sub-sectors in the food system that will have multi-billion-dollar market sizes, thus many companies within these plant-based categories will find widespread success as they serve customers in different channels and through different applications of their product,” he said.

Now backed by new funding, Pope said the top priority for CHKN is getting the product into the hands of consumers. The brand is aiming to first enter natural and specialty retailers in major markets on the West Coast in conjunction with a direct-to-consumer launch this month. Though the product ships frozen, it will be slacked and merchandised in the fresh meat case in retail, Pope said. CHKN also has its sights on the foodservice channel, though COVID has slowed discussions with potential accounts.

“We wanted to wait on the full launch until we did this this round of funding so that we really could build the brand, build the awareness and make sure that we can support all of our retail partnerships with very strong velocities so that the the marketing dollars will really be there to build this brand and and connect with consumers,” he said.