GREENWICH, CONN. — GoodSam Foods has raised $9 million in Series A funding led by Alive Ventures and Desert Bloom. The round brings the company’s total funds to $10.5 million. The round also had support from Latam Impact Fund (Sonen Capital & Fondo de Fondos, MX), Promotora Social Mexico, One Small Planet (Peterffy Family Foundation) and Connecticut Innovations.
The regenerative food company is expanding its team, launching new product lines and will continue direct trade support for smallholder and indigenous farmers in the nine countries where it operates.
“We are excited to support GoodSam, a company that is helping smallholder farmers engaged in regenerative agriculture to access premium markets, thus driving prosperity and climate resilience in rural areas,” said Virgilio Barco, managing partner at Alive Ventures.
Barco and Julia Paino, partner at Desert Bloom, also will join GoodSam’s board.
GoodSam was founded in 2019 by Heather K. Terry and Sam Stroot with the goal of bringing high-quality cocoa products found in Colombia to the US market.
The company built a supply chain free from brokers and middlemen, working directly with growers who, due to their geographic isolation and lack of access to chemical outputs and machinery, use traditional farming practices that are inherently regenerative.
“This funding gives us the resources to scale not just in numbers, but in a way that meaningfully changes lives, communities and economic realities,” said Heather K. Terry, chief executive officer and founder of GoodSam. “We are proving that a regenerative business model isn’t just viable — it’s thriving.”
The company’s first product launch in 2020 included chocolate bars, chocolate chips and chocolate-coated nuts that were exclusively available at Thrive Market.
A year later, GoodSam Foods entered the baking category with its gluten-free baking mixes formulated with almond flour, allulose and organic cocoa powder sourced from Colombia.
The company’s portfolio also includes such products as organic nuts, organic coffee and fruit chips.
Its products are available nationwide at Whole Foods Market, Sprouts and natural independent and specialty retailers.Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
