NEW YORK — Blue Stripes, the company that uses the whole cacao to create a variety of products that was founded in 2018 by Oded Brenner, has raised $20 million in a Series B round, which was led by Zintinus, The Hershey Co. and Whole Foods Market among others.
In addition to the fundraise the company has named celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni as its brand ambassador to inform consumers about cacao.
"For the last two decades of my career I focused on showing people the whimsical and romantic side of chocolate," Brenner said. "In this next chapter, I am on a mission to change what happens behind the scenes of the cacao industry – reducing the negative cacao industry impact on the environment, improving the economic value cacao farmers receive for their work, and sharing the incredible functional benefits that the cacao superfruit has with the world."
Blue Stripes product line includes cacao water, whole cacao chocolate bars, whole cacao granola, whole cacao trail mix, chocolate covered cacao beans and dried cacao fruit.
The Hershey Co., through its C7 Ventures venture capital unit, invested in Blue Stripes in August 2019.
Blue Stripes Urban Cacao also inked a Whole Foods partnership in May 2022, which launched more than a dozen items at the retailer nationwide. It marked Blue Stripes’ first significant retail expansion since its direct-to-consumer debut. Products included in the Whole Foods launch were cacao fruit smoothies, dried cacao fruit, whole cacao trail mix and whole cacao granola in dark chocolate, maple, pecan and peanut butter banana flavors.
Brenner previously founded and sold max Brenner, a chocolate restaurant and retail brand with locations around the world. He later opened Blue Stripes Cacao Shop, a cafe in Manhattan’s Union Square serving a variety of foods and beverages using all parts of the cacao fruit.
After the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily shuttered the shop and suspended expansion plans, Brenner launched Blue Stripes Urban Cacao, an online shop featuring packaged products inspired by popular menu items.
The company’s product development explores the three components of the fruit: the shell or husk, the fruity white pulp and the beans.Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
