AUSTIN, TEXAS — Cece’s Veggie Co., an Austin-based maker of riced and spiralized vegetables, has received investment from former Whole Foods Market co-chief executive officer Walter Robb. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Launched in 2015, Cece’s offers a range of refrigerated organic vegetables and meal kits featuring noodled beets, zucchini, sweet potato, butternut and yellow squash, and riced broccoli and cauliflower. The products may be consumed raw, sautéed as a grain alternative or added to soups and salads. Cece’s products are available at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts stores nationwide and at Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and other regional retailers. The company has expanded production capacity by five times since completing construction on a custom-designed, 42,300-square-foot facility last year.
“Walter Robb has always been a business hero of mine, and the opportunity to have him as an investor and mentor for Cece’s is an amazing milestone for a company as young as ours," said Mason Arnold, founder of Cece’s Veggie Co.
Mr. Robb joined Whole Foods Market in 1991 and was named co-c.e.o. along with John Mackey in 2010. He stepped down at the end of 2016 and has since become an advocate and investor in socially conscious food businesses.
“In my new chapter I am drawn to help and learn from young entrepreneurs like Mason Arnold who are doing innovative things,” Mr. Robb said. “As a category-creator, Cece’s is building a brand in the produce department for customers looking for premium, veggie-centered meal options.”