Investment
Dive into the latest stories, interviews, and discussions relating to investment, funding, and mergers and acquisitions throughout the natural food industry. Explore what the financial future looks like for natural food entrepreneurs in terms of capital availability, deal terms, lending, and the strategic marketplace in order to help shape your planning strategy for the short and medium term.
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Featured Investment Content
Maazah Raises $2M As It Deepens Distribution
Afghan-inspired food company Maazah has raised a $2 million seed round with participation from existing investors as well as three family offices based in the brand’s hometown of Minneapolis.
Tastee Apple Acquires Art of Sucre
In an act of confectionery consolidation, candy apple maker Tastee Apple Inc. has acquired cotton-candy brand Art of Sucre, bringing a “social-first” next-gen brand under the stewardship of a legacy sweets manufacturer.
New Primal Invests In Supply Chain After Challenging 2025
New Primal is expecting significant growth in 2026 after co-investing in production and a solid foothold in poultry meat sticks.
Additional Content
Nona Lim Soups Up Ready-To-Sip Line with $3M Raise
Asian-inspired food brand Nona Lim announced Monday the closing of a $3 million round of funding. Led by Harbinger Ventures, the round also included Echo Capital Group, Navama & Kouffman LCC, CircleUp and Cambridge Companies SPG as investors
Post Investment, GeeFree Bakes Up Success
GeeFree was founded in 2013 by partners Susan Hougui, a food consultant, and Steven Leyva, a baker. The duo baked the business from there, growing the company to about $500,000 in sales in its second year. Then in March 2017, Billy Procida, founder of the multi-billion dollar real estate investment group Procida Funding & Advisors, invested $1 million dollars for half the company. Now post investment, the company said it’s already seeing a tenfold increase in its month-to-month sales from March to May thanks in part to a new COO and a ramped-up marketing campaign.
Big Brands Look to Small in Recent Deals
Big strategics looked to both invest and acquire in the past two weeks, looking to a fund, a coffee company, and a delivery platform for revenue expansion. Here’s a look at the deals:
Innovation Fueling 15 Most Well-Funded Startups
A list compiled by market research firm CB Insights of the 15 most well-funded venture capital-backed food and beverage startups reveals the increasing value placed on brands that are offering healthier choices and disrupting established categories like meat and dairy and innovating with plant-based offerings.
Why DiCaprio and Strand Hopped to Invest in Hippeas
At the 2017 Sweets and Snacks Expo this week in Chicago, Illinois legume-based snacking brand HIPPEAS booth was pulsing with excitement – both due to the brand’s popularity in retail, but also thanks to the announcement that Strand Equity Partners and Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio have joined as investors.
Peeled Snacks Raises Capital for Produce Derived Snacking
Last week, plant-based snack brand Peeled Snacks announced the close of a round of fundraising led by Seurat Capital. Investment bank Whipstitch Capital served as an advisor to Peeled for the deal.
Investors See Green with R.e.d.d.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but an April 2016 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicated the company had closed roughly $850,000 of a $1.5 million round. The Portland, Maine-based brand previously raised $1 million in Spring 2016.
Verde Farms Acquires Estancia Beef
The acquisition is a natural next step in expanding Verde Farms’ offerings nationwide while maintaining the integrity of their founding values of healthy soil, healthy animals, and healthy and delicious beef. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Dean Foods Returns to Plant-Based Products with Good Karma Investment
Today dairy processor and distributor Dean Foods announced a minority investment in Boulder, Colorado based Good Karma, a producer of flaxseed-based, dairy alternative food and beverage products. Originally a private label manufacturer of dairy-alternative milks, Good Karma developed its own branded CPG line in 2014 and expanded beyond beverages to yogurt in late 2016.
Soylent Raises $50M in Venture Capital Funding
The nutrient-dense meal replacement drinks and powder company has pulled in some Silicon Valley-grade investors, closing out a Series B financing round today with $50 million in funding, led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), bringing the company’s total funding to $74.5 million.