Plant Based Foods Association Launches New Investor Membership

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), the nation’s leading trade association for plant-based food companies, announced a new membership opportunity for investment firms supporting this growing food industry sector.

Ten investment firms have signed on as founding members: Blue Horizon, EverHope Capital, Green Monday, Hummingbird Brands, JMK Consumer Growth Partners, Lyra Growth Partners, New Crop Capital, Stray Dog Capital, VegInvest, and the team of Nicole Brodeur and Alex Payne.

Founding investor member Lyra Growth Partners is led by Charles Chang, the founder of the successful plant-based food company Vega, which was sold to WhiteWave Foods in 2015 for $550 million.

“It’s wonderful to see so many mission-aligned investment firms supporting our members and our work. I am excited to partner with investors to ensure the success of the plant-based foods sector,” said Michele Simon, PBFA’s executive director.

“New Crop Capital is thrilled to be a founding investor member in the Plant Based Foods Association and support the good work they are doing to promote the industry in both the policy arena and the marketplace,” said Chris Kerr, partner with New Crop Capital and PBFA advisor.

“As investors in Next Level Burger and other plant-based food businesses, we believe a food revolution is underway. The collective work the Plant Based Foods Association is doing is essential to helping that revolution succeed,” said Nicole Brodeur.

Many of the founding member firms are invested in PBFA company members. For example:

  • Blue Horizon is invested in Alpha Foods, Good Catch, New Wave Foods, and Ocean Hugger Foods
  • New Crop Capital is invested in Alpha Foods, Good Catch, Miyoko’s Kitchen, New Wave Foods, and Ocean Hugger Foods
  • JMK Consumer Growth Partners is invested in Miyoko’s Kitchen
  • Nicole Brodeur and Alex Payne are invested in Next Level Burger
  • Stray Dog Capitol is invested in Fig Food, Miyoko’s Kitchen, Nutpods, and Ocean Hugger Foods. (Stray Dog is also a sponsor of PBFA.)
  • VegInvest is invested in Alpha Foods, Fig Food, Nutpods, and New Wave Foods

“This new membership opportunity offers investors access to industry data, introductions to early-stage companies, in addition to tapping into a wealth of knowledge from our member companies, affiliates, and advisors,” Simon added.

The full list of founding investor members is available on the Plant Based Foods Association website.

About the Plant Based Foods Association

The Plant Based Foods Association represents more than 90 of the nation’s leading plant-based food companies, advocating for a level playing field, and working to expand markets for this fast-growing sector of the food industry. Learn more at: http://www.plantbasedfoods.org.