Venture Capital News: NurturMe Closes on $1.5M Mezzanine Round
2015-05-06
AUSTIN, TX, Family of certified-organic dried baby food and toddler snacks, has secured $1.5 million in growth expansion capital.
NurturMe, the family of certified-organic dried baby food and toddler snacks, has secured $1.5 million in growth expansion capital from EcoEnterprises Fund to help accelerate its growth as the first and only brand to offer pure organic quinoa products for babies and toddlers, as well as scale its social and environmental impact. A pioneer in the impact investing arena, EcoEnterprises Fund was originally founded under the umbrella of The Nature Conservancy in 1998. NurturMe has also neared completion of a $1.2 million Series B1 round, which has raised equity financing from prestigious angel groups across the United States, including raising a portion of the funds on the crowdfunding platform, CircleUp.
'We've been searching for the right quinoa product to add to our portfolio, and we value the fact that NurturMe supports their suppliers in Latin America.'
A Certified B Corporation and eco-friendly option within the rapidly growing baby food category, NurturMe has experienced significant growth over the past year with the introduction of its innovative organic quinoa products. Since successfully launching the first-ever line of pure organic quinoa cereals for babies in 2014, the company has tripled its points of distribution and is on a trajectory to double its sales this year. With EcoEnterprise Fund's guidance, NurturMe will continue to make quinoa an increasingly significant part of its core product offering as well as support the Fund's charter to improve sustainable agriculture in South America, where its quinoa is sourced.
'NurturMe has done a great job at being innovative in the category and coming out with compelling new products. As a venture fund dedicated to nature, we look for opportunities in not only portfolio diversification, but more importantly, companies and mostly principals, that we can grow. NurturMe was very attractive to us from a growth company perspective, and they're a natural fit for us based on the fact that our missions and mandates are aligned,' says Tammy Newmark, CEO and Managing Partner at EcoEnterprises Fund. 'We've been searching for the right quinoa product to add to our portfolio, and we value the fact that NurturMe supports their suppliers in Latin America.'
In addition to purchasing Fair Trade organic quinoa from local cooperatives instead of large farms in the region, NurturMe has launched a social initiative to support the children of Peru. As part of the new NurturNiƱos program, a portion of proceeds from all NurturMe quinoa products sold will be donated to support health, education and other basic needs in the farming and surrounding rural areas where its organic quinoa is sourced.
'NurturMe was originally born out of our desire to create a healthier and more sustainable alternative to the traditional options on the baby food aisle. Today, we are thrilled that the EcoEnterprises Fund has afforded us the unique opportunity to not only grow our company and quinoa product lines, but also our efforts toward improving social and environmental responsibility,' says Caroline Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of NurturMe.
Quinoa is a protein-packed ancient grain with a nutritional profile similar to breast milk, along with other superior benefits - including all essential amino acids, natural fiber, choline and antioxidants. Made from 100 percent supergrain, NurturMe's Organic Quinoa Baby Cereals are a complete and balanced protein, iron fortified, easily digestible and gluten-free. Visit www.nurturme.com for additional information.
About NurturMe
NurturMe is the first and only family of certified-organic, dried quinoa, fruit and veggie meals and snacks created to nourish healthy growth and overall wellness in little ones. NurturMe's Quinoa infant cereals, dried NurturMeals baby food and Yum-a-Roo's toddler snacks help parents feed their children better from first bites to first steps, and everywhere in between. NurturMe is a Certified B Corporation, and all NurturMe baby and toddler foods are certified organic, gluten-free, non-GMO and kosher, with no added preservatives, sugars or salts. NurturMe products are lightweight and made in the USA, leaving a smaller carbon footprint on our planet than the other options found in the baby aisle. www.nurturme.com
About EcoEnterprises Fund
EcoEnterprises Fund has served as a venture fund for nature since 1998. A pioneering investment tool, EcoEnterprises Fund provides growth capital to community-based sustainable companies to achieve scale - generating lasting results that help address the critical environmental and social challenges of our time. Founded under the umbrella of The Nature Conservancy, EcoEnterprises Fund became an independent investment manager in 2010 with the successful launch of its second fund, EcoEnterprises Partners II, L.P., which builds on the experience and track record of the first fund, Fondo EcoEmpresas, S.A. www.ecoenterprisesfund.com
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