LOS ANGELES — Frozen dessert brand Sunscoop has completed a $2 million financing round led by Vibrant Ventures.
Founded in 2017, Sunscoop offers plant-based, allergen-free pints packed with superfoods such as moringa, maca root, mushrooms and more. Flavors include cold-brew swirl, wild blueberry crumble, vanilla bean cream, cookie dough, toasted coconut butter, mint chip, strawberry and chocolate. The formulations feature organic coconut cream as a base. Organic brown rice syrup adds sweetness. Sunscoop products are sold at more than 700 retailers, including Erewhon and Whole Foods Market.
Co-founders Carli Blum and Chelsea Fisher said the new capital will support the brand’s next phase of growth, including retail and direct-to-consumer expansion and new product launches. The company also plans to hire new team members, including a chief operating officer to drive innovation and growth. Recently, Stephen Juarez, formerly of Blue Bottle Coffee, GT’s Kombucha and Honest Tea, joined as vice president of sales.
“Through years of innovation and perseverance, Carli and Chelsea attained the holy grail of clean ingredients, delicious taste, and a creamy texture using only plants,” said Jarret Christie, managing partner at Vibrant Ventures. “Revolutionizing a food category with plant-based ingredients is an immense challenge and it’s particularly difficult in frozen desserts. This seed round represents a monumental milestone for the Sunscoop team, who has worked tirelessly to establish product-market fit with a captivating brand that consumers are drawn to while making ethical decisions with their dollars, and without compromising on taste.”
Sunscoop, which initially debuted at Los Angeles’ open-air Smorgasburg market, has achieved 142% year-over-year sales growth in the natural and specialty grocery channel, according to the company. The brand is set to introduce five new items this year, including a shelf-stable product and a plant-based frozen novelty. Sunscoop also is relaunching its online store at sunscoop.com next month.
“Since our early days at Smorgasburg, it’s been incredible to see the response and growing demand from our customers, from those who can finally safely enjoy ice cream free of allergens, to those that are just looking to eat more plant-based,” Ms. Blum said. “We’re so excited to have the support of industry leaders who fully believe in Sunscoop’s mission and the future of plant-based foods. Their capital and expertise will help us sustain growth, grow our internal team, support distribution into new regions, and develop new products that encourage people to reset their expectations of what plant-based, allergen-friendly products can offer.”
Additional investors in the seed round included H/L Ventures and Torch Capital.