PHOENIX — True Food Kitchen, a restaurant and lifestyle brand with 42 locations in 17 states, has raised more than $100 million in funding to support accelerated growth.
Founded in 2008, True Food Kitchen offers a seasonal menu of nutrient-dense dishes based on creator and doctor of integrative medicine Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid. Items range from organic cocktails and fresh-pressed juices to salads, bowls, burgers and sandwiches. The company plans to expand its footprint and launch smaller formats.
The investment round was led by HumanCo and Manna Tree, with participation by existing investor Centerbridge Partners. Early backers of the brand include Oprah Winfrey and Starbucks founder Howard Schultz.
“True Food Kitchen is in a category of its own, with a mission perfectly aligned with HumanCo to help people live a healthier life through epic food experiences,” said Jason H. Karp, founder and chief executive officer of HumanCo. “It’s an amazing, uniquely mission-driven brand that’s authentic, accessible and unwavering at a time when a lot of health and wellness is not. While many companies are engineering man-made and synthetic products, True Food Kitchen looks to nature and farms for all of its food — and we believe this is how we can all build a better, more sustainable food system. Most of all, we love that it’s not just healthy food, but also delicious, craveable food with fresh and intriguing options using only the best real food ingredients.”
Brent Drever, co-founder and president of Manna Tree, said the investment firm’s commitment to improving human health through nutrition aligns with the mission of True Food Kitchen.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with their management team and leveraging our expertise to help True Food Kitchen bring its revolutionary ‘better food for better living’ concept to a much wider audience,” he said.