Banza
Overview
Banza makes comfort foods out of chickpeas, including pasta, pizza, rice, and mac & cheese. Since 2014, Banza has been on a mission to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans because of their positive impact on human and environmental health. Today, Banza's chickpea products are available in over 18,000 stores nationwide, and it is the fastest-growing pasta brand in the country.
Mac & Cheese
Rice
Pasta
Pizza
Frozen Pizza
Banza Goes After Breakfast, Launches Waffles
In its ongoing quest to elevate the humble chickpea, Banza is looking to a new meal: breakfast. The company is adding frozen waffles to its roster of fiber-rich foods.
Notable New Products: Pickle Flavored Cheese Curds and Honey Hibiscus Vinegar
In this week’s roundup of notable new products, Daily Crunch and Beehive look for inspiration from the popular flavor pickle, and Banza launches what the brand says is its most requested pasta shape.
The Checkout: Banza Commits To Regenerative Chickpeas; SFA Predicts Upcoming Trends
In this week’s roundup: Banza commits to transition chickpea acres to regenerative; SFA predicts upcoming 2023 trends; 12 Tides wants to give consumer kelp tattoos and Lotus Foods founders release a cookbook.
Notable New Products: Superfood Cereal and Baked Pea Puffs
This week’s roundup of notable new products saw brands creating new products with fall-inspired flavors, turning popular pureed baby food into a new snack for toddlers and launching superfood cereals packed with Vitamin D3.
Enlightened Hospitality Investments Closes Fund II
Foodservice-focused Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI) announced today that it has closed its second fund at $332 million.
The Checkout: Ripple CEO Talks New Funding; Tofurky to Launch Algae-Based Meat Products
In this week’s Checkout, Ripple CEO Laura Flanagan discusses the company’s latest funding round and previews its new soft serve line; Tofurky and Triton Algae Innovations partner to make algae-based meat products; Banza unveils new partnerships; the strike at Mondelez’s Nabisco manufacturing and distribution facilities comes to an end; and General Mills reports its fiscal 2022 Q1 results.
Distribution Roundup: Banza Pizza Debuts at Retailers Nationwide; OmniFoods Launches at Sprouts and Whole Foods
In this week’s distribution roundup: Banza Pizza debuts at retailers nationwide, OmniFoods launches at Sprouts and Whole Foods, AYO Foods and The Real Good Food Company expand their reach at Kroger and more.
Oath and Banza Partner on New Menu Offering
In the quest for a better-for-you pizza crust, it looks like cauliflower could be facing stiff competition from the chickpea. Yesterday pasta and pizza brand Banza announced its chickpea pizza crusts would be added to the menu at Oath Pizza, replacing the chain’s gluten-free and cauliflower crust options.
Life Cuisine Partners Expands Portfolio, Partners with Banza
As part of its strategy to reframe its frozen meal business to appeal to a wider array of shoppers as well as younger consumers, Nestle this week announced two new offerings in its Life Cuisine line featuring Banza chickpea pasta, part of an 11 SKU launch.
Watch: Pasta Category Close-Up, Product Showcase
From pho to penne, this month during our Category Closeup: Product Showcase we’re exploring innovation and growth strategies for a group of rising noodle brands. Speaking with executives from brands producing shelf stable, fresh and frozen products, we’ll hear the views of the entrepreneurs who are currently shaping this broad set of categories.
Prelude Closes Fund II to Invest in ‘Distinctive’ Brands
Prelude Growth Partners, a New York City-based fund, announced last week the close of their second fund at $250 million dollars. The majority of the fund’s limited partners also backed Prelude’s first $85 million fund in 2018, co-founder and partner Neda Daneshzadeh said.
Beyond RX, Rahal Talks Investing & Next Steps
What happens after you achieve the goal you’ve spent years chasing? In 2017 Peter Rahal sold his protein bar brand RXBAR. In 2019 he stepped down as CEO to be an advisor to the company and focus on his own projects. Now he’s busy investing in brands under his firm Litani and figuring out what his next play should be.
Banza Raises $20M to Focus on Food Service & Brand
Pasta brand Banza announced today the close of a $20 million round of funding co-led by Enlightened Hospitality Investments (the growth equity fund associated with restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group) and fund Prelude Growth Partners. When Banza launched in 2014, the concept of bean-based pasta alternatives was new and fairly untapped. Now, with plenty of companies also selling these offerings, Banza feels its time to focus on their brand and enter new channels.
From the Expo West Aisles, Themes Emerge
While there were plenty of buzzy, ketogenic, CBD-enhanced, cauliflower-based products lurking in Expo booths, if you looked deeper, several larger themes within the natural food industry emerged — including retail channel strategies, the effects of integrated sets and sleepy categories seeing new attention.
No retailers or e-commerce options have been specified for this brand