October 17, 2017

Boulder Food Group (BFG) has invested $2 million in Seed funding in Caulipower – maker of a frozen cauliflower-based pizza crust that is not only gluten-free, but more nutritious than typical gluten-free options.

Founded by Gail Becker, a mother of two boys with Celiac, a disorder where gluten causes damage to the small intestines, Caulipower produces vegetable-based pizzas and pizza crusts that are gluten-free and with half the sugar of other leading gluten-free pizza crust products on the market, while also having less calories, fat, and sodium, while being high in protein, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

After launching at 30 locations in February of this year and at Expo West in March, the company has seen meteoric growth in the ensuing months. By June the company had its products – The Margherita, Three Cheese, and Veggies pizzas – on the shelves of 1,000 stores across the country including Acme, Albertsons, Teeter, Meijer, Safeway, Shaw’s and Star Market, Wegmans, and Central Market, among others.

That same month Becker told Project Nosh that the company was seeking out investors to secure capital to fund the expansion of its promotion and marketing campaigns and add to its sales team.

By October the company had grown to be the number one selling cauliflower-crust pizza in the U.S, and had expanded its distribution to 6,500 stores including Walmart, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Fresh Thyme, HEB, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Jewel Osco,  QFC, Ralph’s, Stop & Shop, Vons, Whole Foods, Rouses, and hundreds of others.

“People’s positive reaction to CAULIPOWER has been incredibly humbling,” said Becker. “All we did was listen to what people wanted. They wanted a healthier, tastier version of one of their favorite foods without the time and hassle. So we made one! Thanks to an outpouring of appreciation from fans, we’ve gone from 60 stores to 6,000 in just eight months, allowing more people to find us in more places where they’re already shopping.”

Like other startups that are focused on healthier options, Caulipower has a dual mission: to not only make healthy foods more accessible to a wider range of consumers, but to have a social impact as well. To achieve this, Caulipower supports OneSun, a program that plants teaching gardens at underserved public school across the country so that they may teach students about healthy eating.

“Over the years, I have noticed how many students reach for junk food because healthier alternatives were not available,” said Kelly Chapman Meyer, founder of OneSun. “Our partnership with CAULIPOWER helps kids retrain their palates, learn about veggies, and make healthier choices – lessons that will last a lifetime.”

This business model is becoming more and more prevalent amongst startups looking to connect to their customers and to gain it traction in a competitive market through its social and ethical practices.

Earlier this month GAI News reported on CAVU Partners investing $10 million in HIPPEAS, a producer of certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, and non-GMO, extruded chickpea puff snacks that also has a dual impact mission.

The company has partnered with Farm Africa  – a charity operating in rural eastern Africa to alleviate hunger and improve the standard of living in the region. For each pack of HIPPEAS sold, the company donates a portion of the sale to support African farmers in improving their production and livelihoods.

HIPPEAS’ business model and social impact mission is a perfect fit for CAVU Partners’, which invests in high growth, iconic food and beverage brands that appeal to health-conscious consumers.

For BFG, whose portfolio includes evol, Barnana, Bear Naked, Chameleon Cold Brew, and Good Day Chocolate, it was the combination of the product and Caulipower’s leadership that drew them to the table.

“It has to be a good product that tastes great and has mass appeal,” Dayton Miller, partner with BFG told Project Nosh, “…so [Caulipower] certainly checks boxes there. But we also want to partner with great teams and great people. Gail is unusual in that regard, being such an accomplished person in her previous career and the caliber of her experience is really awesome for a first time entrepreneur.”

-Lynda Kiernan